Dark Alliance
by Shakaka
Summary: Cobra came for Sage early on in her career, forcing her to work for him with the help of the resident ninja. She's got an arrogant attitude, a witty defence and an inconceivable past. With a determination she has no idea where from, she hardly ever gives up, and it makes working with her both irritating and comical.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and so therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, script, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person, and his associates.

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

She flew quickly down the snowy mountain, her board slipping and sliding over the devious ice as she weaved between trees and jumped over rocks. She heard the shout behind her and her right hand stole to her belt, gripping the small slender handle at her waist. She continued to bend her knees and balance gracefully as the ground suddenly disappeared beneath her, and then she plummeted toward the ledge fifty or so feet down.

She had been prepared for this. Twisting her body around and drawing the pistol from her belt, she fired three rounds into the body pursuing her. Blood splattered onto the clear ashen snow and the figure dropped headfirst toward the bottom of the cliff. She twisted back just in time to land professionally at the base of the rock face and kicked out the right end of her board, digging its left side into the ice and coming to a smooth stop. She heard the lifeless _thump_ as the body landed in the snow behind her.

"Very good..." She looked up, blood spiking, and panted. She shook her hands out of the thick bright-green gloves—underneath of which she wore thin thermals—and wiped them against her cold nose, careful to keep her goggles on but pull down the fluffy neck-warmer so she could speak. He bright pink lips contrasted lightly against her pale skin, and she grinned, flashing straight white teeth. Her hidden blue eyes followed the figure that sauntered toward her, his thick shoes sinking deeply into the snow. "I have a visitor for you." Her smile vanished, and she turned to glance back over her shoulder at the lifeless bundle of clothes, broken bones, and blood. "He knows who you are, Sage." She whipped her black beanie-clad head back around and stared at him for a moment.

"What about the body?" Her voice was as soft as the wind: frosty and sweet at the same time. It had always sent chills down his spine.

He bowed his head slightly. "That will be taken care of." His gloved hands clasped together in front of him in innocence. "Now, if you don't mind, this visitor doesn't like to be kept waiting..." Sage made an irritated noise at the back of her throat and lifted up her pistol, flipping out the bullet chamber and giving it a twirl with her finger. She allowed the empty shell to slip out and sink into the snow before reloading the vacant space and slamming the compartment back, flicking the safety off.

"Sage, I don't really think that's necessary—"he began unsurely.

"Michael," she looked up, cutting him off with a smile. "We can't be stupid, can we?"

"Uh..."

"I'm not going to risk my life for his comfort. If he truly knows who I am, then he'll acknowledge that I don't go anywhere with _at least_ a fully-loaded pistol." As if to prove her words were true she switched the gun to her left hand and snaked her free fingers up the sleeve of her left arm. She gripped cool, smooth metal and drew it out. Michael's breath caught.

"A dagger _too?_" he whispered, surprised and angry at the same time. "Oh, Sage..." He ducked his head and covered it with a frosty-gloved hand, sighing. She hid it back up her sleeve.

"Oh come on Michael." He glanced up as she pouted playfully. "I have to be armed."

He sighed again and drew his hand away from his eyes. "I suppose..." As they lapsed into silence, a deep humming reverberated in the distance. Sage peered keenly past him and cocked her head to the side as a bulky silhouette loomed up over the edge of the shelf a few metres away.

"Our ride?" he nodded silently. "Michael, why couldn't I just meet you down the bottom? I had enough speed to get over this flat stretch."

"Because knowing you, you would've shot this visitor I've talked about."

"_No_." Sage groaned, rolling her eyes. "If he didn't threaten me, I wouldn't harm him. Besides, you wouldn't even give me the task of doing such a thing." Michael smiled wistfully.

"Once you see him, you'll feel threatened." She cocked a brow, and he turned. "But if you _really_ want to ride down..." He faded off and she squealed, bending down swiftly to unbuckle her boots from the board as the skimobile drew closer. She ran after Michael's retreating back and swung an arm around his shoulders, planting a swift kiss to his prickly cheek before jogging toward the edge of the last fall of the mountain.

"I'll race you!" She called back as the skimobile swung around, Michael seated on the long seat behind the driver. He bent down to tell the man to go faster, and suddenly the vehicle sped up. Sage turned and threw herself down the slope. The waxed underside of her board, the hard, compacted ice, and the still air all helped her gain speed, and quickly. Before long, she was zooming down like a bullet, crouched low, balanced precariously, and she could hear the strained roar of the mobile behind her. A wide grin parted her lips—

And then suddenly, she was at the bottom, the wind thundering in her ears. Rapidly and steadily she dragged her board around and thrust its back into the snow. It would take a few metres for her to stop at the speed she was going, but gradually, as she slid a past the cabin in which she, Michael and the skimobile driver had been residing in, the board's momentum slowed down, and then she came to a complete stop. Unclipping her bulky black boots and stepping off the board, she picked it up and—holding it between her waist and arm—hiked back through the snow to reach the cabin. Michael was already at the door, unlacing his shoes. She stepped up behind him as he tore off his boots and glanced down to hers. "I'll take them off inside. They'll grow cold and hard out here all night." She flapped her free hand pointlessly. Setting his jaw, Michael sighed and turned the doorknob, casting her a hasty warning glance. She arched a brow, and stepped inside behind him.

The fire was crackling happily in its heath, and the red-hot coals offered a soft, warm glow throughout the room. Sage huffed, scraping the ice from her goggles and flicking it on the floor.

"Oh Sage..." Michael scolded gently.

"The heat of the room will dry it up." She muttered dryly, pulling off the goggles along with her beanie and neck warmer, and shaking out her long curly blonde hair. It fell out around her face in a lovely flowing halo. "My _god_ it's hot in here!" Shedding the thick, waterproof snow jacket from her shoulders, Sage hung it up on the peg, only just noticing the pure-white suit jacket hooked on the peg opposite.

Or maybe she'd just been trying to avoid looking for it.

Her hands fell back to her sides and she spun around hastily, scanning the room with sharp eyes. The dining table and its four oaken chairs sat cosily to her left under the wide clear window overlooking smooth untouched snow and the bottom of the mountain. At the furthest left corner from Sage a chest-high, thin counter rose up with a cute wooden swinging door for entrance. It hid most of the kitchen from view, but a white, powerless fridge filled with the ice from outside for cooling and a small brown cupboard loomed up behind it. The dark hallway beside the kitchen led further into the cabin, centred opposite the entrance door, and a couch sat to its right, old and worn, but still comfortable.

There was no TV in the lounge room, because there was no channel service or power out in such a secluded location. But Sage was grateful there was at least gas for hot running water and cooking on the stove.

When her eyes finally looked back to the fire, she saw the tall figure standing before it. He wore white socks, because his polished white boots sat at the door, and long pressed white pants that crumpled around his heels slightly. A loose white shirt covered his powerful torso, untucked, the sleeves rolled up. The pureness contrasted brightly against the even olive toning of his skin. His arms were strong, his shoulders broad. She looked at his face. His dark eyes were slanted; his face smooth and brown with light pink lips revealing white teeth, and high cheekbones shadowed by the soft candlelight of the room. He had a strong, angled jaw, and his short-cropped black hair was spiked haphazardly about his head.

She had to admit, he was handsome.

He tilted his head to the side silently at her calculating gaze. He was powerful, she could see that, yet slim enough to be swift and light on his feet, agile and fluid in his movements. She stared at the sharp metal stars dangling from his waist, the dagger attached to the inside of his wrist, and the twin blades slanted sideways behind his shoulders: their tips at his left hip and their handles above his right shoulder.

Michael was right to have warned her; otherwise, she would have lunged at him there and then. She despised strangers wielding weapons against her, although he hadn't drawn any.

He wasn't going to attack her, but he was a potential threat.

She lifted her head and met his eyes, nodding and turning to lean her snowboard against the wall beside the door. She grabbed her gloves and drew the thermals off her hands before crossing the room toward him. Her thick board boots thumped in a low tenor across the wooden floorboards as she moved. The shape of the boots rose up to encompass half her lower leg, yet the backs curved in slightly to force her knees to bend. It had taken a time for her to become used to the foreign burn in her calves and the ungainly walk, but when she did, she was comfortable in them. They were her favourite boots, but not very good for stealth.

She placed both pairs of gloves in her left hand and outstretched her right. The man arched a delicate, shady eyebrow, but clasped her fingers tightly. His white gloves, too, had been pulled off of his fingers and held in his left hand.

"Sage." she shook once and withdrew, resting her gloves on the mantle above the fireplace so they could dry.

"Storm Shadow." He greeted, his voice masculine and mystique. She froze. He had an irritating characteristic that hinted at his conceited attitude, as if he _knew_ he was a pretty boy.

"Storm Shadow, did you say?" She looked him over, stepping back. Her boots thunked quietly as she retreated, and he glanced down to them and then back up with a smirk.

"You heard right."

She made a shocked noise. "I've heard of you." and peeling her eyes from his, she walked back toward the door where Michael still stood awkwardly. "Where's the ski-driver?" She asked, and he gestured outside.

"Parking." she nodded and frowned at him as she got closer, flashing him a distasteful look. He shrugged helplessly.

"Do not blame Michael for my presence." Storm Shadow's cool, arrogant voice spoke behind her. She became suddenly self-conscious as she felt his hard gaze boring into her back, and glanced down to herself secretly as she undid the long laces on her boots. She still wore her black snow pants low on her waist, baggy around her legs, and a tight, thick, dark-blue singlet that stuck to her curves, long enough to tuck itself under her pants. The singlet wasn't deep-diving to reveal plenty of her chest, but it didn't conceal _all_. Her lean yet toned shoulders shifted as she slid the boots off and sat them beside the door, beside Storm Shadow's.

She told herself it didn't matter, no matter how much he watched her.

"So," Michael cleared his throat to break the silence that enveloped the room. "Anyone want a drink?"

"A shot of whisky, please." It was a ritual for Sage. Whenever she had a successful killing, she celebrated with a shot.

And she'd never failed a mission.

"Another shot, yet again!" Michael laughed as he moved into the kitchen. "Do you want anything, Storm Shadow?"

"No." Sage turned a surprised look to the man as his voice rang callously through the room. He was studying her intently. She moved away from the door as it tried to open, and the ski driver sauntered in. He looked at her and stroked her cheek, she smiled, then he looked to Storm Shadow, nodding quietly, and walked into the kitchen, probably to speak with Michael. He was well-accustomed to Sage's career, and he was often the one to tow away the bodies.

And he wasn't too bad a hunk, either.

Sage watched him disappear into the kitchen before looking back to Storm Shadow. He'd moved silently from the fire and was seated in a chair, still studying her. Cautiously she crossed the room; her feet hushed and warm due to her woolly socks, and turned her back to the fire, staring out the window. She swallowed quietly.

"You do not seem at ease with me, Sage." Storm Shadow murmured, and she inclined her head, but didn't look at him. "Why?"

"You're a ninja." She stated bluntly, "A very skilled and very advanced assassin." She looked down to him, meeting his eyes. "You're a threat."

His gaze glinted with amusement.

"Well. I am honoured that you feel that way." His voice was laughter, and her jaw began to work. "Sage, dear Sage," he rose fluidly, and she watched him guardedly. "I scare everyone."

She bristled, but bit her tongue. He was baiting her to snap. She would not amuse him.

"Why are you here?" As expected, her voice was flat and icy.

"I have come with a proposal for you to join Cobra." She arched a brow.

"And what is 'Cobra'?"

"A military organisation operating secretly under the nose of the American president," he smiled, tossing his dark, cocky attitude toward her. "We leave early in the morning."

She blinked stupidly at him. "And what gives you the impression I _want_ to join you?"

"You have no choice."

Something screamed at her to keep her mouth shut and look away from his frosty expression. But, being the headstrong young woman she was, Sage held his gaze and hissed, "_Oh?_"

His lips scathingly bared pure-white teeth. "Where else will you go?" Her brows creased, but something shifted out of the corner of her eye that diverted her attention. Her head snapped around, and she stared at the small black blob at the base of the cliff. Ignoring Storm Shadow, she stalked toward the window, staring.

It was gun, a sniper gun set up on a stand, and she realised the slanting black line behind it was a body.

"What the _f-_"Its barrel suddenly shifted and swung around, aiming just past her, to her right.

With a cold spike of fear, Sage realised it was aimed at the kitchen. She flew back in horror, and opened her mouth to scream.

"_Michael! Niles!_"

"What?" They both called in unison, turning to stare at her over the serving counter between them.

"Get out!" She yelled. "Get out of the bloody kitchen!"

"Wha-"but Michael never finished his sentence because something shattered the window at head height and cut his voice off with a tense gargle, his eyes rolling back into his head. He fell to the floor, and Sage saw the thin trickle of blood down the side of his temple before he vanished from her view.

"_Shit!_" Niles, the skimobile driver, made to dive for the floor, but another pane of glass shattered and he gave a short, wounded cry before falling. Sage was already over the serving counter, skilfully avoiding the window and dropping down into the shadows in a crouch.

"Niles!" She whispered, crawling toward him. On her way she pressed her fingers to Michael's throat, knowing he was dead. But her driver was still alive, if only barely, and he was twitching and writhing in agony. His unfocussed eyes swept over her face as she loomed above him, his expression contorted, and he gasped, gripping her arm tightly—almost painfully—with a sweaty hand. "Niles-"she broke off as he opened his mouth and gargled through the blood seeping out. She leant down as he coughed and spluttered, spraying blood over the side of her face. She grimaced, but pressed her ear to his lips as he murmured weakly.

"_Pl...se_..." She shook her head.

"Niles-"

"_Pl...eas...e_..." he wheezed, and then she saw the bullet wound in his jugular. The pellet had torn right through his neck and out the other side, almost shearing his throat in half and filling his lungs with blood.

"Oh _god_, Niles." she breathed, sweeping back his sweaty hair. He coughed violently, convulsing once. His back lifted off the tiled floor, he spluttered, and then he sagged to the ground, his eyes wide and motionless. Sage tentatively reached out and pressed her fingers to his throat, inhaling sharply as she felt no pulse.

She sensed Storm Shadow in the doorway, and her face hardened. Her hands curled into fists at her sides. He shifted, and her hand flew to her belt. She snapped her arms forward, aiming the gun between her fingers at his forehead.

Slowly, she rose to her feet.

"This was all you." She snarled quietly, staying in her position where she knew the sniper couldn't see her. "You killed them."

"Well, actually..." he looked down to his nails, as if they interested him and he had not a care in the world. "It was the sniper outside..."

"I don't care _who_ it was!" She shrieked, stiffening as he stepped closer. "It was all because of you, you _bastard_."

"Oh Sage," he sighed, nearing her softly.

"_Don't_," she warned, stepping back. Her hips pressed into the edge of a counter, "Stop."

He gazed at her, and strode closer. Her thumb flicked the safety off her gun, and her fingers itched toward the trigger.

"You can't do it," he taunted, almost in reaching distance. "You know you can't."

She lifted her chin defiantly. "_Watch me_."

He never stopped walking toward her, but he did spread his arms out in an offering gesture.

"Then shoot me."

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thanks for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated! xx


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and so therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, script, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person, and his associates.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

Sage pulled the trigger. By the time she mustered up the courage to do so, he was close. Too close.

Before the bullet even exploded from the barrel Storm Shadow's hands snapped forward and knocked hers to the side. The gun flew from her grasp and skidded along the floor, and she found herself pinned against the counter, Storm Shadow walling her off.

Eventually, as she made sense of everything, she was gasping for breath. Her knees trembled slightly as the ninja loomed above her, and she glanced around him.

Sure and true, Storm Shadow had effectively deflected her attack. The small bullet-sized hole in the floor hinted at that.

Icy dread washed over her. What was he _capable_ of?

She felt threatened all right.

"My, my," a cool, feminine voice murmured behind them. Sage hadn't even noticed when the door to the cabin had opened. She glanced back over her shoulder quickly. A tall woman clad in tight-fitting black leather stood beside the fire, peeling off shiny gloves from her slender fingers. Her skin was pale, her raven-black hair long, straight and flowing. Her clothes left little to imagination; she was shapely and striking.

The woman spun around on black stiletto heels, her red-coloured lips parting in a threatening smile. She advanced, sliding up the dark-tinted sunglasses to sit on her head and sweep the hair away from her face. She had a beautiful face, all grace and elegance and fair skin. But she was lathered in makeup as well: dark eyeliner, thick, lengthening mascara, blush, lipstick, toner, eye shadow. She was as made-up as a doll.

"She's very young. Are you sure she is the experienced assassin?" Her voice was anything but warm, and it had an almost harsh husky pitch. She sashayed toward them, her deep green eyes wily and venomous.

"I am _never_ wrong," Storm Shadow spat in disgust. Sage glared at him, and he smirked.

Cool fingers gripped her chin and she pulled back, but they forced her head to the side.

"Well, she _is_ a pretty sight to look at." Sage found herself staring into the woman's eyes, and she bared her teeth.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Hmm," the woman stepped away, stroking a long fingernail along Sage's jaw. "My name's Baroness, darling." She had a thick accent that was very noticeable. It slightly ground out as she spoke. Almost like German.

Sage made to shift, and Storm Shadow's hands tightened around her wrists.

"Let me go." She spat. He complied. She stared at him in shock, and then recovered, glancing down at her gun, and then away. It was near Michael's body.

"Well, she's not stupid enough to gravel along the ground for lost ammunition." Baroness commented, and Sage massaged her wrists, looking down.

"Where the hell's my dagger?" She seethed, noticing its absence, and the ninja flung it at her. She flinched away as it stabbed the bench where her fingers had been.

"And she has good reflexes." He noted, watching as she moved back and gripped the black handle. It made her feel a little safer, and she challenged him silently as she tore it out of its deep gauge and looked it over, caressing with long fingers. It seemed fine, and glinted up at her as it caught the light. She scraped a thumb dangerously across the blade, and the sound of skin scraping against metal rang out keenly.

It was definitely sharp enough.

Satisfied, she looked up. "What?" Two pairs of eyes were watching her amusedly.

"Why don't you come out and sit by the fire." Baroness spoke. It was a command. Peeling herself from the counter, Sage made to sidestep Storm Shadow, who cut her off and held out his hand.

"The dagger." she glared at him boldly, but placed it in his palm, her fingers brushing his warm skin. He curled his hand into a fist and stepped aside.

Without looking back or at the bodies of her associates; Sage swept out of the kitchen through the low swinging door, knowing very well that the silent ninja would be following. She could feel his gaze.

Baroness indicated to the fire as she passed by. "Stand over there." Setting her jaw, Sage walked over and stared down at the coals. The wood was burning low. She crouched down and grabbed the poking stick, jabbing at the coals. Heat flared up into her face, and she placed two little logs above the coals, which then looked like they'd die out.

"Come on you bastard..." she hissed, settling down onto folded legs and bending forward, blowing gently into the coals. They flared, and then died as she pulled away for more breath. She leant forward again and blew. The wood began to crackle, and she grinned in triumph. "Take that, bitch!"

"Talking to the fire, Sage?" She looked over her shoulder at Storm Shadow, who was seated on one of the couches, watching her once again.

"It's better than talking to _you_."

Baroness breathed a laugh. "She has a quick mouth." Sage turned away rigidly and sat down, folding her legs. She closed her eyes.

She needed to stay calm.

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><p>It was peaceful, meditating in the own inner space of her mind. The room was silent, so she could relax and focus better, and the fire helped her calm. She felt her slouching posture lift and straighten, and her shoulders automatically set themselves back.<p>

She was in harmony.

The door flew open, slamming against the cabin wall, and disturbed her. She jumped, her eyes opening rapidly, and spun around defensively. Troops poured in, and her hand crept toward the metal poking stick.

"Do not even think about it." Storm Shadow muttered, and she drew her hand away grudgingly before rising to her feet. There were ten soldiers armed with high-tech-looking rifles and darkly tinted snow goggles. Their clothes were puffy and padded, like white floating devices, that made them look huge and daunting. Their black boots were heavy and thick, thumping loudly over the wooden flooring, and they wore a bag across their front at the hips, probably where they placed bullets.

Simultaneously, they lifted their thick-gloved hands and pushed up their goggles. They all had short-cropped hair ranging from black to blonde and red and brown, and they were all young—mid-twenties or early thirties. The Commander or Sage guessed who looked like the Commander, ripped off his gloves with his teeth and set his rifle on 'safe' before looking up. He stared at Baroness a little too long, his eyes ranging, before she turned and glared at him. He quickly moved over to stare at Sage, and cocked his head in curiosity. He looked across to Storm Shadow and grinned.

"Keeping her under control, Stormy?" The ninja fixed him with a cold blank stare, and he looked away quickly. "How long are we staying here for?"

"The night." Baroness stated in a monotone, and walked over to gaze out the window. Sage noticed that the sniper was gone.

"Whose board?" the Commander asked, reaching out to touch the snowboard leaning against the wall.

"_Don't_," Sage snarled, "touch my board." He froze, and then turned around to look at her. She'd been rash; she knew it by all the stares she was getting. "Back away from my board." she said gently. "And don't touch it, don't look at it, don't even _think_ about it."

A pleased smirk graced his lips. "Or what?"

"You're dead." Storm Shadow laughed softly, but Sage kept her eyes on the troop. He crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

"Oh yeah?" his eyes travelled over her body. "I don't see any weapons on you."

She cocked a brow. "And who ever said I needed weapons?"

Baroness turned to stare at her in approval. "I like her." She said lightly. "She rather reminds me of myself."

"I'm nowhere near _related_ to you." Sage retorted in a hiss.

"You don't have to be. I can see myself in you."

"What, a cakefaced, black-haired bimbo?" the room fell silent and the troops stared between them.

"You have guts, girl." Baroness seethed. "But you're stupid."

"Come at me." Sage spat, watching as the woman launched her herself across the room. She remained calm and indifferent as Baroness fumed in her face. She was holding her ground.

"Who do you think you are, you little _bitch?_" Baroness growled softly, so only Sage could hear her. But they both had the inkling feeling that Storm Shadow was listening. "You have no _idea_ who I am, and watching how you couldn't handle yourself freely around Storm Shadow, you're nothing but an _amateur_."

Sage cocked a brow. "That's all you got?" Baroness glowered. "Ok." Sage shrugged. "Maybe I have no idea who you are, but I've gathered enough to know that you're a failed seductress." Sage smiled gloatingly as Baroness began to quiver with rage. "That's all you care about, isn't it?" She titled her head to the side delicately. "Your looks."

"_Shut up_." Baroness ground out.

"Or, maybe, it's your reputation. You know: how many boys, or _girls_, you can get into your bed before the night's over." Sage looked her over. "You _do_ look like a slut."

"Enough!" The woman's hand flew up and clipped Sage on the side of her face. She had seen it coming, but saw it pointless to deflect. It would just make Storm Shadow restrain her, and then who knew what would happen.

Sage's head twisted to the side, and her hair flew around her shoulders, slapping her face gently. She stared at the ground momentarily, and her teeth ground together.

"Hit me again," she bit through the stinging pain in her cheek. "And I'll rip your head from your shoulders."

"Really?" her enemy asked smugly. Sage stared at her. "I'd like to see _that_."

They lapsed into a tense silence, gazing at each other, and Sage noted the subtle shift in Baroness' arm. She tensed cautiously, and waited. The air whispered the warning she needed, and her hand flew up, gripping the slender wrist flying toward her face. Baroness brought up her leg, and Sage deflected it with her shin, sweeping out her foot and knocking the woman to the floor. She pinned Baroness' ankles under her feet and slammed her arms against the ground, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders like a graceful, curling waterfall.

The struggle was swift, and Sage had won. She sensed Storm Shadow move.

"Let her go." Something cool pressed against her neck, and she moved off Baroness to stand and glance down to the blade at her throat. It looked like a katana.

She met Storm Shadow's eyes. They were sinister, almost angry, but she saw the wink of delight. Baroness stood and spat at Sage's feet, then stalked off out of the cabin, slamming the door heatedly behind her.

Storm Shadow drew the blade away and went to sit back down.

"So you're the assassin we're searching for?" The Commander who had made to touch her board asked. Sage looked up at him, but said nothing. "I guess you're lethal enough."

"What?" Sage sneered. "You need proof?"

"No." Storm Shadow intersected before the soldier could speak. "That is enough."

The army men drew back to line the walls. Sage sank to the floor and rested her chin in her hands.

"You know," she began, speaking to no one in particular while staring at the floor. "If we're staying here the night, and we don't want to freeze to death, we should patch up the holes in the windows—"Her throat tightened and she willed herself not show her grief. "But, I have no problem with _you_ freezing to death..."

Storm Shadow ignored her insult, clicked his fingers, ordered two soldiers to patch up the windows, and then dispose of the dead bodies in the kitchen. As two men moved off to do what he said, and Sage fumed silently, the door opened.

She had been expecting Baroness. Instead, she saw a tall black-clad man in tight clothes. The shape of his strong body was very visible due to the firm fabric, and his thick snow boots thunked quietly over the floor. His short dark hair sprouted out above a black hair band, his eyes and brows just as dark. His skin was a sickly pastel.

It hit her then, like a painful force. He was the gunner from outside. The slim, sleek black rifle in his hand showed that.

"It's a little obvious to wear those clothes in the snow as a sniper, don't you think?" She scorned bitterly, and the man looked across to her. He stopped and regarded her wordlessly as she glowered darkly at him. If only she could get her hands around that thick throat of his...

"Honey, I'm just doing my job." Her lip curled in disgust and she looked away. She could feel Storm Shadow's laughing gaze. Something in her snapped.

"_What?_" She hissed, turning on the ninja. "Why the _fuck_ are you staring at me like that?"

He leant back, settling deeper into the sofa and cocking his head to the side. An arm was slung lazily across the back of the couch. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Can't you speak, too shy?" He cocked a brow. "It wouldn't surprise me. You're not the _manliest_ of the human race."

One moment, he was on the couch. The next, he was dragging her up from the ground by the throat and slamming her against the wall beside the fire. She grimaced slightly.

"_And what would you know about me?_" He whispered. She tried, and failed, to move. He had her pinned good, and she had the eerie thought that if he wanted to, he could kill her easily.

"I know that you're a weakling." She spat with difficulty, and his short nails dug into her flesh. "I know that you had a hard callous father who didn't love you." Of course, she didn't know _that_, but it made his muscles convulse in anger. "I know that you hate yourself for the cold, heartless monster you are."

His face twitched, and then a slow, taunting smile spread across his lips. Just like that, the tenseness in his body vanished, and he completely changed his demeanour. He forced her hard against the wall, until it hurt, and stooped down low to press his lips to her ear.

"_Then you obviously know nothing about me_, Ariel Gallow." she stiffened, and he drew back, releasing her.

_How the hell did he know her real name?_

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thanks for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated! xx


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and so therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, script, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person, and his associates.

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

Baroness came back when it was dark, and she was shivering with cold. She looked over at Sage, and her lip curled in disgust. Sage smirked.

The woman sauntered over to Storm Shadow and sat down beside him, her sour face like that of a brooding cat. The ninja sat up straight, obviously not comfortable with the intimacy.

Sage couldn't help but grin at how Baroness relaxed when she had Storm Shadow between her and her rival. She stood, stretched and pocketed her gloves while the soldiers looked at her lazily. They were seated on the floor in various locations throughout the warm room. Someone had even been smart enough to bring a pack of cards, and was playing poker with nothing but bullets to trade for chips.

Sage walked over to the door and grabbed her snowboard, jacket and boots, and then made to head for the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Storm Shadow asked brusquely. She stopped and sighed.

"Bed." she waited for something, an answer perhaps, but got nothing.

That was before hands pressed against her back. She gasped and lurched forward into the darkness, spinning around. Storm Shadow stood in the doorway and grabbed the board out of her arms. He nodded.

"What are you doing?"

"Well. Someone has to watch you, don't they?"

"But...I have to change!" She cried. She heard the soldiers' chuckles in the room behind him.

"You'll figure out a way." Her nostrils flared, but she spun on her heels and stalked down the hall, turning left at the end and feeling her way to the tall candle beside the window. Pale silver light illuminated the room from the soft glow of the moon and she picked up the box of matches in the holder that caught dripping wax to strike a flame. The candle bloomed to life and a warm radiance lit up a slice of the darkness.

She grabbed the lantern at her bedside table and lit it, carrying it over to the far left corner where her bag was. She crouched down and unzipped it, searching inside.

"What, no bed for me?" Storm Shadow asked innocently, looking around. About a metre or so from the single window sat a double bed in the centre of the room. Other than that, the standing candle, and the bedside table, there was nothing.

At least the bed was comfy...

"Well," Sage began coldly, stuffing her gloves roughly into her duffel bag. Something clanked quietly under her clothes and she inconspicuously flinched, hoping Storm Shadow didn't hear it. "I wasn't expecting _you_." Storm Shadow walked over and gently placed her snowboard on the floor. He looked at her bag a little too long.

Damn ninja probably heard it.

Sighing, Sage stood and crossed the room, yanking the curtains close. The room darkened, but the two candles glowed weakly. Spinning around, she pointed to the door. "Get out."

Storm Shadow arched a brow, crossed his arms over his chest, and stared at her challengingly. She had no patience for games. She was tired, stressed and angry.

"_Please_, get out?" She pleaded.

"But then I cannot watch you."

"And I need to change. Being a ninja and all, you should be able to hear me through the bloody door!" She snapped, and he grinned.

She had the irrational thought that he was only 'watching' her to annoy her. He'd be able to hear her breath from here to the lounge room if he tried.

Without a verbal reply he crossed to the door and stepped out, closing it quietly.

Almost sobbing with relief, Sage picked up the lantern and bedclothes from near her bag and then collapsed onto the bed. She sat the lantern on the bedside table. For one minute she was free of Storm Shadow and his scheming gaze.

Slowly, and almost painfully, she had to force herself to strip off her pants and slide on her trackies. She threw a loose shirt over her singlet and fell back, sighing in contentment.

It didn't last long. Storm Shadow cracked open the door and stepped back in, closing it behind him.

She pleaded mentally that he leave her bag alone.

"I heard you finish." _Damn ninja_...Sage didn't even bother opening her eyes. He wasn't going to do anything to her, but she supposed she had to get into bed.

Groaning, she forced herself up and twisted her snow pants into a tight ball before thrusting them at her bag. They landed on top, or what she could see through the gloom, and then she dragged herself under the covers.

A soft metallic sheen made her open her eyes and look to her left. Storm Shadow knelt on the ground close by, drawing out his twin katanas and laying them on the floor. He unsheathed the metal throwing dagger and the handful of metal stars and put them on the floor, too, out side-by-side. They sparkled happily under the candlelight, and he looked up at her stare. She rolled over to get a good view. They were beautiful weapons.

"Katans..." she outstretched an arm to point. "Throwing dagger...And star-things..."

"Ninja throwing stars." Storm Shadow picked one up and twirled it precariously between his fingers, "Also known as a _Shuriken_."

"Huh, snazzy..."

"I am surprised you know of _Katanas_." Storm Shadow stated. Sage shrugged.

"They're like samurais, I suppose." A smile twisted up the corner of his mouth.

"Samurai _swords_, Sage." her brows furrowed.

"What's the difference?"

"A Samurai is an ancient warrior, just like a sniper, who wields a sniper _gun_. Samurais wield samurai _swords_."

"Ah..." He looked over at her again, his eyes scrutinizing her face. It was unsettling, so she twisted around and faced her back to him before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

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><p>Something rattled and woke Sage. She moaned softly and stirred, stretching her legs under the covers. The noise froze, and she exhaled quietly, relaxing. After a few moments, the rattling began again, and the soft sound of metal striking metal echoed off in the far corner to her right, oddly where her bag was...<p>

Her eyes flew open and she shot up straight, kicking back the covers. The lengthy, catlike figure of Baroness crouched at the corner in front of her bag. Her arms were outstretched as she rattled around inside it.

"Get away from my bag!" Sage snarled, making to move off the bed. As she braced her hands against the mattress, something silver flashed across her eyes, and the sharp point of a sword dug into her chest just above her heart. She stiffened, knowing it was Storm Shadow, and glared at Baroness, who had shifted and glanced back to her smugly.

"Or what?"

Instead of speaking, Sage salivated her mouth and spat viciously at the ground, folding her legs back up on the bed and grumbling in anger. She never looked away from Baroness as the nosy woman searched through her items.

Seems like Storm Shadow hadn't let the case drop. Sage should have known he would have searched her further for weapons.

"I must say, I like your fashion." Baroness picked up a pair of dark tight-legged jeans and a colourful, tailored shirt. "You must be slender..." She turned around and glanced back, her eyes roaming over Sage. Instead of speaking, Sage looked over the bed head and spotted Storm Shadow, who had drawn back his katana and was standing beside the window. His arms were crossed, he was leaning against the wall, and he was staring at her. Even if he hadn't slept at all last night, he didn't show it. His face was as fresh and alert as it was yesterday, and he was just as guarded and sinister.

"You did not tell us about your range of weapons, Sage..." Sage looked back to Baroness and glared. She picked up another one of Sage's throwing daggers and a machinegun.

"That's only the start of it." Sage snarled, and Storm Shadow moved away from the window, over toward her bag.

"I will take her weapons." Baroness glanced up to the ninja for a moment, and then quickly adverted her eyes at his winning gaze, complying.

"What are you, my own personal weapon guard?" Sage seethed sarcastically.

"Something like that." Storm Shadow looked back and smirked. That damn characteristic smirk got on her nerves every time. She scowled. "Come on Sage, get dressed." He turned after the clever pair had completely exhausted her small supply of weapons, and Sage watched as Storm Shadow tucked her daggers into his boots—it was odd that he was wearing boots indoors for starters—and gripped the gun loosely in his hand with an action of disgust.

It must have been taboo for ninjas to wield anything remotely harbouring a bullet. Maybe they thought it was cheating.

Baroness stood and swept toward the door, vanishing and sauntering back down the hall. Storm Shadow paused and grabbed the handle, casting Sage a blunt, authoritative look before disappearing with a murmur of something like 'hurry'. Sighing, Sage stood and dressed into the clothes she wore yesterday: her warm baggy black snow pants and blue singlet. She changed her socks and shoved all the clothes back into her bag. As she stood, and finished making the bed, Storm Shadow came in and without a word picked up her snowboard and sack. She followed him quietly, turning to glance back. She'd left nothing.

With a quiet click, she closed the door and walked down the hall into the lounge room. Baroness stood in the kitchen cooking something that sizzled and hissed, and Storm Shadow dumped Sage's things near the door. The soldiers and sniper were nowhere to be seen.

"They are out on patrol." Storm Shadow murmured as she looked around. "We do not want anyone stealing you back now, do we?" She shed him a scathing glare and sat down on the couch. The fire was out cold and she shivered. An olive hand darted under her nose, holding out her bright-green snow jacket. She grabbed it silently, pulled it on, and sunk back into the couch, crossing her arms spitefully. She glared down at the pure-white boots flush against hers, wishing cynically how much she'd love to dirty them and how much she'd enjoy his reaction.

But, being a ninja and all, he probably had no reaction.

Or, more likely, he reacted smugly to things that would normally make people squirm with sickness.

"Do you want something to eat, Storm?" Baroness called from the kitchen, over the clatter and frizz of cooking, clanging plates and hot flames.

"Yes." Sage noted that he never said please. Really, he never had any sort of manners.

Another ninja taboo, she supposed. '_Act cold and cutting to keep up your badass reputation'_.

But it kind of suited him, she had to admit.

"Sage?" she could detect detestation when she wanted to, and Baroness obviously held hard grudges. Sage looked up, meeting her eyes.

"Sure. As long as you don't poison it."

Baroness snorted quietly. "Cobra wouldn't let me."

"Wow." Sage looked over again. "You really are a wuss if _Cobra_ is all that stops you." She heard the feral growl, and grinned.

"I forgot," Baroness said thickly, "that you know nothing of us. Such a shame. Prepare for Hell."

"I've been through worse."

"Not when Storm Shadow's your trainer—"the ninja cast Baroness a hard glare. "I mean Master, sorry." She ducked her head and Sage cocked a brow, meeting Storm Shadow's gaze, surprised at his domination.

"You're going to train me?"

He nodded, and moved to sit beside her. He didn't dwarf her with his height, she was tall, but he loomed over her with his solid build. She was more a slender, toned frame. Maybe all ninjas just happened to be daunting...

Although Sage would never admit that.

He reached down and plucked out one of her throwing daggers, gazing at it curiously. Baroness entered the room after the kitchen grew silent, and handed out two plates. Storm Shadow obviously received the larger portion. Then she sat down opposite, and placed down a small handgun beside her. Sage noticed it was hers.

"And will I ever get my weapons back?" She questioned before consuming a mouthful of egg and toast. It was a simple breakfast of eggs and bacon on toast and with a swift glance out the window, Sage knew it was early morning, maybe late dawn.

"Possibly..." Storm Shadow answered before shoving a mouthful between his teeth. 'Shoving' wasn't the correct word. He didn't eat like a pig, but he wasn't as delicate as a woman, either. Pleasant-yet-manly table manners, she guessed. He cocked a brow at her interested stare.

"I've never watched a ninja eat." She admitted.

"You've never _seen_ a ninja." Baroness snapped. Sage shrugged before ingesting another mouthful.

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><p>"So what now?" Sage asked after she finished breakfast and took the plates from Baroness and Storm Shadow. She walked into the kitchen, ignoring the silent stares, and began washing the dishes in a warm, soapy sink. Baroness glanced across to Storm Shadow.<p>

"Well, we are leaving soon...Going back to the Command Centre."

"By what?"

"A helicopter."

"_Ooh!_" Sage sang lightly. "I like flying." She inhaled sharply when the point of a knife nicked her finger and cursed under her breath, pulling out her hand. She pressed her bloody-dotted finger against her singlet, looking up. "What?"

"Are you often so careless?" She rolled her eyes and checked her finger. It had stopped bleeding. She continued to wash, pulling out the clean knives.

On pure impulse, she froze, staring at them in her hand: gleaming wet and bubbling soap. She quickly looked away, but Storm Shadow was talking rigidly to Baroness.

Swiftly, and with the utmost stealth she possessed, Sage snaked a knife into the waistband of her pants, tucking the handle under her singlet. The serrated blade scraped against her skin, and she bit her lip. She'd have to move it if she didn't want to stab herself accidentally.

She continued washing, and then drained the sink and whipped out a tea towel. In the midst of stacking away the plates and chucking the knives back into the cutlery draw, Storm Shadow spoke behind her, and his words made her tense.

"Where is the third knife?" She kept her back to him and forced herself to move, drying her damp hands.

"What do you mean?" She closed the draw and then began wiping the bench where she'd splashed water.

"Oh, I am sure you know what I am talking about." He was suddenly at her ear, whispering, and she caught her breath. He was so close, his strong torso brushing her shoulder blades. She swallowed with a dry mouth and fisted her hands when his gentle, confident palms brushed the sides of her ribcage. Her muscles locked down in shock and anger.

His fingers traced down her sides, following the slender yet shapely contours of her hips. They froze at her waistline, and his right hand twisted up under her top. She inhaled shallowly as his soft skin brushed the ticklish part beneath her stomach, and then she felt his smirk.

His hand drew out the steak knife—skilfully avoiding cutting her skin—and placed it on the bench. He rested his chin on her shoulder. It was heavy and thick. She took a deep breath and lifted her head. Baroness was gone.

Reaching out with Storm Shadow still pressing at her back, she picked up the tea towel and began dabbing at the semidry knife. She reached down and yanked open the drawer, her elbow hitting Storm Shadow's solid and bony hip. She chucked the knife back and braced her hands against the counter.

"Back off, Storm Shadow." He didn't move, and instead gripped her wrists with his hands. She stiffened. He spun her around, and she suffered an odd sense of déjà vu.

"Now," he began, shifting her hands into one of his and lifting her chin to meet his eyes. "I am going to train you, as Cobra commanded: when we first seized you, you were my soldier to train. But, you will have to give me the respect and obedience I deserve."

She snarled. "I'm no soldier."

"No." He corrected. "You are a hired assassin. But, you are not hired anymore, you are employed. You are Cobra's darling."

"And why would he want me?"

"On the same basis that he hired me; you are lethal. He believes he could use the extra experience and protection."

The door to the cabin swung open and Storm Shadow looked up. Baroness spoke.

"The helicopter's here."

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thanks for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated! xx


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and so therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, script, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person, and his associates.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

When Sage expected to be picked up by a helicopter, she at least anticipated to hear it. But as Baroness fell silent, and Storm Shadow stepped away from Sage and forced her out of the kitchen, Sage could not see or hear any telltale signs of loud chopper blades whipping through the air, or a small whirlwind outside as the snow was stirred. She frowned, and walked toward Baroness, who reached into her pocket and produced a pair of plain metal cuffs. Sage stopped and raised a brow.

"Surely you can't be serious?" Her voice, as she had intended, was flat and cold, almost sardonic. Baroness ignored her, and advanced, opening the loops with a forceful twist and pull.

"Arms." she ordered, and Sage glanced up bewilderedly at Storm Shadow.

"You have a _ninja_ on your side! Why do I need to put those on?"

"Simply a precaution," Baroness smirked, her voice teasing. Sage narrowed her eyes and thrust out her arms, glowering at the beautiful woman as she chained Sage's wrists together. "There, much better."

"Only because I can't hit you," Sage muttered darkly, glowering.

"Come on," Baroness spun and stalked toward the door. Sage followed closely behind, and Storm Shadow hesitated only to grab her bag and snowboard.

"Oh, what a _gentleman!_" she spat with a tone of anything but admiration. The ninja ignored her, and shoved the end of Sage's board into her back, propelling her out into the cold mountain air. Boots dropped down with a heavy _thud_ beside her cold socked feet as she stood there, seeming to appear out of nowhere, and she slid them on, growing mildly impatient when she hand to lace them up with restricted hands. Sliding up the zip on her jacket, Storm Shadow rummaged through her bag to produce her gloves and neck warmer.

_It's odd_, Sage thought, _a ninja, being courteous_. She didn't quite understand why, and when she stared at him, he only gave her a cold, scathing look. _Well, he's definitely not friendly yet. Maybe he just doesn't want me to freeze to death. Cobra would probably sack him_...

He turned away then, and pulled a mask from his belt. It wasn't as much a mask as a full-headed disguise. It was white, like the rest of his clothes, and in the simple form of a balaclava with a dark, reflective, tinted visor over his eyes. He pulled on his gloves.

"Are you _coming?_" Baroness asked impatiently, breaking through Sage's train of thought. She turned and walked down the steps, lifting up her legs that bit extra to trek through the snow. Baroness set off down the right side of the cabin that led away from the mountain's base, and Sage sighed, but followed her glumly.

It was a few minutes of walking out in the open before Sage saw anything. At first, she wondered if they were the pale statues of snowmen, but then, as they turned and showed off their ranging hair colours and pale or brown faces, she noticed they were the troops from the night before. The sun's weak light glinted off their goggles, casting rainbows across the ground. She still couldn't see the sniper, but she could feel hidden eyes on her back. Maybe he had his gun trained on her, ready to strike if she tried anything.

She grimaced. There was no point in trying anything. She wasn't going to get anywhere, except her death bed, maybe.

And maybe that wasn't such a bad idea...

The sudden loud _whoop, whoop_ of propellers thundered overhead, and Sage glanced up. True to Baroness's word, a large black shape blocked out part of the cloudy sky; a sharp rigid outline against the tedious grey. As it began to descend, Baroness walked back toward them, previously having moved off to converse with the white-clad Commander, who watched her rear as she moved. She met Sage's eyes, and glared.

Yep, the woman held grudges.

Sage looked away from her face which, if she weren't so brave and defiant, would have cowered at the stare. The chopper was almost to the ground when she observed it again, and it was kicking up momentous amounts of snow and ice. It flicked up into the goggles of the soldiers standing by, and some of them spun away, cursing. Sage lifted her hands to shield her own face from the attack, and glanced up when she caught movement.

The soldiers were piling into the helicopter, only a few remaining outside to gaze back at her expectantly. Obviously, this was a safety precaution, too.

Sage, rolling her eyes, stepped forward and ducked her head down to avoid the blades from chopping her hair off. Baroness crawled inside before her and didn't even turn to offer a hand.

_How rude_. She thought uninterestedly, gripping the long metal handle running down the side of the doorframe. She hauled herself up, swinging her legs over the edge, and fetched up on her hands and knees. It was pretty skilful for somebody who was handcuffed.

As presumed by his skilled occupation, Storm Shadow leapt up elegantly into the aircraft, silent as a mouse, and deposited her bag and board in a corner before turning toward her. He cocked a finger, signalling her to follow him as the remaining soldier made their mosey way inside the craft. Pulling a face at his turned back, Sage stood and glanced around. The chopper was big, with plain metal seats lining both walls to sit up to fourteen people—most of them were taken by the soldiers, and Baroness, who was at the front. The walls themselves were metal, but painted black, and a large black mortar gun sat just inside the door, opposite to the one she'd entered from. Beneath it were tracks like a railway, possibly used to push the gun forward to hang out the door and fire safely, or to pull it back in to allow the door to close for safety.

At the front, naturally, were the backs of the pilot seats. Through the gap between them, Sage glanced the copious amount of controls, flashing lights, metres and scales that she never hoped to understand. A black-helmeted head shifted slightly and turned around to look back. The visor was down, and the microphone was positioned just in front of the lips, but Sage saw the thin, almost bony face. It was strong-planed, mostly masculine, and as she stared, he gave black-gloved thumbs up, the rest of his dark attire just as plain. He moved back around as someone called out something, and flicked at switches. The door was still open, which explained why she didn't understand a thing the soldier had said, because it was so loud.

As she gazed out, a black form slid smoothly up inside, turning to slam the door close. He picked up the lean black gun beside him and turned around.

"Where the hell did he come from?" Sage asked, watching as the sniper settled himself into a seat opposite. He busied himself in fiddling with his rifle, and then looked up to meet her eyes. It was the first time she'd held his gaze, and she saw the acidic, ruthless monster behind them. Her lips curled, and she looked away.

Finding herself still standing, Sage advanced toward a vacant seat, and then tensed as she was spun around. Storm Shadow gripped the chain linking her wrists, and dragged her toward the back. She dug her heels in and yanked. He stopped and turned to her, his masked face invisible.

"Do you really want to do this right now?" He asked, giving her a look she couldn't see through his visor.

"Yes," she said insolently, lifting her chin. "Yes, I do."

A small smile cracked his lips, she could see them slightly beneath the white fabric, and he turned again. She'd expected him to simply take a step forward, but instead he wrenched on her shackles, hard. She grunted, stumbling ahead, and almost tripped from the sheer power of his tug. Before giving her time to balance and pull back, he strode briskly across the metal floor of the helicopter, dragging her along, and halted before the wall. She recovered her poise quickly and kicked out in a fit of anger. He dropped her arms and grabbed her ankle, pulling her, hopping and fuming, toward him. She narrowed her eyes as she steadied herself against his solid build, and his gaze ridiculed her silently. Just the way he stared down at her, so collected, calm, and disapproving, made her feel small and naive.

Sniffing, she raised her jaw and challenged him silently.

"Do not try hurting me, Sage." He said coolly, twisting her leg slightly. She stiffened, but showed no sign pain. "I will use your moves against you."

"You cheat." She spat lowly, slitting her lashes. He raised a brow.

"_I_ cheat?"

"The bad guys always do." She smirked, and he smiled slowly. It was a dark, threatening smile, which slightly twisted his face and casted shadows across his hidden eyes.

"Then if I am the bad guy," he began, releasing her. "I can do _whatever_ I want." With that, he turned and sat down. The only available seat was beside him, in the corner. Sage could see by a swift glance around.

There _was_ the seat beside the pilot, but Storm Shadow wouldn't let her sit there. He probably thought she'd sabotage the buttons and hijack the plane, sending them all plummeting helplessly toward the ground to meet their swift and fatal deaths.

And wouldn't that suck...

"Sit down, Sage." He said, gazing at her. She stuck her tongue out childishly.

"I don't _want_ to sit next to you."

"You have been."

"And it's been the _worst_ time of my life." She noticed the katanas on his back as he shifted, and the stars and daggers on his waist.

How could it be comfortable carrying those long heavy swords around all day?

She shook her head, jumping back as he reached out. She was almost fast enough. Almost.

As his hand closed once again over her cuffs, he gave her a questioning look. She could feel it. She froze, wondering.

She could either sit down voluntarily, or be dragged. She'd like to make it harder for him, but she doubted anything was hard—

Except maybe the part where he stopped being an asshole.

Yeah...He was defiantly an asshole.

And he seemed to be impatient, because without warning he pulled her down and forced her into the seat. She cast him a distasteful look, staring away vehemently.

This was going to be a long ride.

Settling back into the seat, Sage closed her eyes, ignoring the ninja and the soldiers and Baroness. She dozed off lightly, slumping against the walls.

* * *

><p><em>Damn dreams<em>. Sage woke with a start and glanced around wildly. The constant hum of the helicopter blades soothed her scorched nerves, and as she realised she was still seated against the wall, she felt a hand brush her cheek and somebody ask if she was ok. Turning to the side instinctively, she lashed out and landed a powerful blow to the side of the man's jaw. He flew back, knocking against the soldier next to him in the seat, and tumbled to the floor. He groaned, rubbing his face, and looked back at her in shock. Sage tensed, eyes wide, her mind still foggy from sleep.

Slowly, as she woke further, the familiar tingle of sore knuckles made her look down. They weren't inflamed, just tender.

She blinked, and Storm Shadow stood before her, shielding the injured man from view. He hadn't drawn a weapon, but he was giving her a critical look. Or so she guessed. Feeling the need to defend herself, she crossed her arms and retaliated.

"The man touched me! He should know better than to touch a sleeping person. An assassin, at that."

"Then maybe you should not sleep," he said softly, so softly it stunned Sage, and she fell voiceless. "Baroness," he called shortly, and the woman wandered over. She looked down to the man on the ground, then to Sage, and sighed.

"Come on." She muttered, bending down to drag the soldier back to his feet. She sat him down, looking at the side of his face. "Are you alright?"

"Maybe if you could kiss it..." The man suggested, and she pulled away, appalled.

"Obviously alright enough to flirt." she gave him a harsh glare and stalked away.

"Ooh, that burns Baroness. It _burns_."

"You'll live." Sage heard her cold voice call, and chuckled. The man turned toward her.

"What are _you_ laughing at?" Her laughter stopped abruptly, and she gave him a dark look.

"Obviously the fact that I kicked your ass while half asleep and nobody really cares." He narrowed his eyes, and she flashed him a charming smile, looking away.

He seemed affected by that small act.

"Maybe you could kiss it better?" She turned and regarded him silently. He was handsome and young, with fair hair and brown skin. He reminded her of a surfer, and she presumed he'd be fairly toned on muscle seeing that he was military.

She opened her mouth to say something, before Storm Shadow interrupted brusquely by sitting down between them. Together, the pair glanced up at him angrily, and he gave them both a raw, challenging look. They could feel it.

The man shifted back quickly. Clearly there was something Sage wasn't understanding between this ninja's skill and his authority over others. Sure, he was good at what he did, probably the best, but he wasn't _that_ scary.

And yeah, he'd beat her in hand-to-hand no doubt. He was trained that way. But she was sure there was something she could beat _him_ in.

She just wasn't sure what that was yet. And she hated it.

Because never before had she met such an experienced opponent. He was fast, he was strong, and he was deadly. Of course, so was she, but he was in a whole different league.

A league she'd never heard of before a few days ago. Hell, for all she knew a few days ago, ninjas never existed. They were the things of her nightmares. Yeah, people believed in them, but she didn't feel she needed to. She knew that if such a union of ancient warriors came into play in her life, she'd be overpowered.

And for once in her life, she was helpless to a single nasty thought.

_He could kill me easier than I could kill him_.

Well, that sucked...

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thanks for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated! xx


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and so therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, script, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person, and his associates.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

The helicopter ride had been quiet—mostly. Apart from the hushed argument between Baroness and the injured soldier minutes before landing, and Storm Shadow declaring in his soft charismatic voice to 'shut the hell up or I will slit both your throats', it was peaceful.

About as peaceful as being held captive against your own will and taken to a secretive organisation over on some far island Sage couldn't ever know about could get.

She looked up from gazing at her short nails and into the eyes of a soldier seated opposite. His gun was positioned cosily between his legs, and he rolled his eyes in her direction. A small smile lifted her mouth to the side as she looked over at Baroness. The soldier Sage had, incidentally, harmed was standing in front of the sour woman, seeming to plead about something a rather. Storm Shadow was still seated beside Sage, and sighed quietly moments after his threat fell on deaf ears.

"Not everyone can be happy," she murmured to him, and he looked across at her, pausing in the cleaning of his already over-polished katana. "Are they always like this?" He said nothing, and went back to his blade, lifting it close to his face to caress its edge with a familiar softness Sage knew.

"No! I am _not_ kissing you!" Baroness growled loudly, and most of the eyes—save the pilot's and a few sleeping soldiers'—turned to stare.

"_That's_ what all this is about?" Sage murmured incredulously. "I thought that issue had finished as soon as it had started."

"Obviously not," the soldier seated opposite replied. She glanced at him, and he shrugged. "The guy's thick. He just doesn't understand the meaning of 'no.'"

"Apparently..." Sage muttered.

"If you do _not_ leave me alone, I will _order_ Cobra to sack you!" Baroness hissed.

"Isn't Cobra in order of _her?_" Sage asked Storm Shadow quietly. As usual, he ignored her, but smiled slightly.

The man muttered something, and Baroness threw her arms up into the air despairingly.

"Seriously man, can't you get a hint when it's thrown at you?" Sage called, still seated. The quarrelling pair paused at their stare-down long enough to look over at her in surprise.

Baroness recovered first, shooting a glare in Sage's direction, which left the young woman wondering how long she'd act so hostile for.

"This isn't any of your business, blondie." The man muttered, a hard edge to his voice. Obviously, he hadn't forgiven her for punching him in the face earlier.

Sage crossed her arms and arched a brow. "It is now, rat-face." Indeed, the man did have an animalistic face. All hard shadows and sharp angles, not to mention the rather large and rather thinly pointed snout...

He was obviously very sensitive to the topic, too. As Sage found out when he rounded on her and snarled. She settled back smugly in the chair, managing to gaze around the brute build of Storm Shadow. "Was that meant to be scary?"

He took a stepped forward, "Why you little—"

"_Ladies and gentleman, we have landed_." The pilot called through his microphone, his voice echoing out from the speakers, cutting Sage's rival off when she was sure he was about to call her something nasty.

Following his words, there was a soft rocking motion as the aircraft touched down on flat ground.

"Stand," Storm Shadow ordered before sheathing his katana. Everyone else in the chopper followed and Sage, sighing, stood. The ninja gripped her arm and jerked her ahead of him. Making a mildly discontented noise at the back of her throat, Sage stormed forward and leapt down from the plane just after Baroness opened the door. Annoyingly, Storm Shadow followed her easily, and she cast him a stiff glare.

"Welcome to Cobra Headquarters," Baroness whispered in her ear, and Sage shied away before looking around. The clear patch of land vacated for such things as a helicopter landing stretched away for miles and miles into the distance, levelled with a flat white layer of icy snow.

_Snow_...Well, at least Cobra H.Q. was in a place Sage liked.

An icy wind stung her cheeks as she stared at the vast building before them. It was metallic and dark, the grey overcast sky adding the perfect tone for a mysterious look. As Sage walked forward, she saw a line-up of skimobiles and other craft she'd never laid eyes on before positioned neatly just outside the front doors. And the doors were large.

To the right of the building spread the sea: smooth and clear and freezing. Ships of various size and make were anchored to the wooden port stretching out a few metres from land. Some looked like underwater submarines, which had always freaked out Sage. She hated being trapped underwater for any extended length of time.

When they approached close to the large entrance doors, the clear frames of glass hissed open quietly. They were fast for such large structures, and the room inside was hollow. Long thick metal columns rose up to support the pointed roof, and the floor was cold, hard cement. Tools lined the far wall, from the skinniest screwdrivers in the world to the largest saws Sage had ever seen, and everything in-between. Transport from plain snow-tracked motorbikes to warthog vehicles occupied part of the vast space, and then jets and planes were shrouded in shadow on the far side.

"The Workshop," Storm Shadow supplied, sweeping his arms out wide. "It is where the mechanics labour."

He led her further into the shed, just as the other soldiers entered, and toward a door opposite. They weren't nearly as large as the entrance ones, and so clearly not designed for large craft. He lifted a hand as he reached it and pressed it against the flat square screen to the left of the entry. After a few moments, a bodiless female voice spoke. _Welcome, Storm Shadow_. And the doors slid open. They were thick metal, not designed to break easily, and they too opened with a soft hiss.

Storm Shadow glanced back at Sage before stepping over the threshold. Sage, in turn, glanced back to the other soldiers, who were walking toward her leisurely, seeming rather at home. Baroness, before them all, shed a cold smile.

Sage followed Storm Shadow into the hallway. It was lit with an eerie red light that hurt her eyes, and there was nothing but a darkness that dived downwards a few steps ahead.

"Lights!" Storm Shadow called, and a bright white luminance shunned the shadows, which revealed a set of thick concrete steps. Sage glanced to the ninja in surprise. "Magic," he sneered, stepping down.

"You know I don't believe in magic." She said. "It was simply an act of voice command that you have wired, no doubt, the whole way through the building?"

Storm Shadow laughed shortly. "If we had it the _whole_ way through, it would cause chaos, not to mention irritation and a waste of valuable money resources."

"Then why have it here?" She asked, confused.

"It is not just simple voice command. It is like a fingerprint. It has to _recognise_ the person speaking in order to carry out the command."

Sage was still confused. "So?"

"_So_," he said with a tinge of amusement, "it is not just anybody who can command it. And so, if we were ever 'invaded'—although it would be very unreal and very unlikely—once the trespassers reach these steps, they will either have to slow, stop, or turn on their lights. Either way, it will get them caught. If they use a light, we can detect them easier. If they use no light and proceed with caution, we can ambush them on the steps in the darkness. If they stop, well, we can surround them."

"And what happens if they use night-vision?" He paused at that, and then grinned, or what she could see on the side of his face as it turned toward her.

"I will kill them, either way."

That seemed to sum it up.

The steps, Sage realised, were long and straight. One slip and you'd tumble down to the bottom. It was a grim thought, and just as grim was the thought of climbing back up them.

As they descended, the air grew steadily worse. Colder and thinner, even through her warm clothes. She could hear Baroness's heels clack loudly behind her, and shivered slightly, breath fogging like a ghost from her lips.

"Are we underground?" Her voice echoed noisily off the metal walls, and she flinched, quietening her steps to the silence of the ninja.

"Yes. Don't you like the underground?" Baroness asked, a snideness to her accented voice. Sage narrowed her eyes at the ninja's back, shifting her jaw.

"No. But it _has_ gotten colder."

"I'm glad you noticed." She muttered dryly. Sage ignored her, and after probably the hundredth step—or more—they reached flat ground, which she was grateful for. Any longer and her legs may have started to ache.

The scene that met her was depressing. Another plain hallway, but this one led off three ways. One to the right—which she could not see as it was filled by darkness—the one directly in front—which ended in a dead-ended wall—and the one to the left, which Storm Shadow took. It was dim, but as she walked, her footsteps lit up in a startling bright blue light. She yelped, jumping to the side and slamming against the wall with a hollow _boom_. The hallway was thin. Storm Shadow paused in his odd soundless gliding walk to turn and look at her. He took in her flustered form pressed against the wall, and glanced down to his feet. They were aglow from the tiled floor, too, as was the Baroness's when she came into view.

"What the hell is up with the floor?" Sage breathed. The ninja smiled mockingly, his eyes hidden behind his visor as the darkness blackened it.

"Oh, just something the Doctor liked to add."

"The Doctor?"

"Also known as Cobra Commander, or Cobra for short. You know, who you are working for now." Sage sighed and glared irately before easing away from the wall and walking toward him.

"Only because I didn't have a _choice_." she spat.

"Sure you did." Baroness drawled behind her. "You could have killed yourself."

"Had you not taken my weapons away, maybe I would have!" Sage retorted, making to turn, but Storm Shadow seized her by the arm and dragged her away forcefully before she could attack the black-haired woman.

* * *

><p>The hallway was long, like the endless grey steps, and when they did reach the end, Sage had a headache from the bright light flaring up as she walked through the darkness. Intense luminosity like that didn't go down very well with her eyes. They were very sensitive to the light.<p>

Storm Shadow once again reached out, but this time, spoke a password to the small computer screen instead of shoving his hand in its face. The metal door opened, and bright light temporarily unsighted Sage, who blinked rapidly while she was dragged out of the gloom and into a hall.

The hall was round and big. Not _huge_, but big enough for a spacious hundred or so people to fill it. The floor was a smooth white marble with pink and black veins that swelled at the bottoms of thick circular columns rising up to the roof, which was a thin plain metal sheet. That was the only thing between her and the ground above.

It wasn't a very reassuring thought.

People rushed around the room through various doors lining the wall every now and then. It was enough to cause a confusing maze of which one to choose, and as Sage stared, she realised the people were servants—maids, to be exact.

She frowned slightly, and spotted the tall dark wood counter in the centre of the room. It didn't hold papers nor did it have a wheeling chair to sit beside it. It simply supported a large, long, clear case that inside held small logs and funny little tunnel constructions concealed by rocks. Sand softened the hard glass bottom, water containers filled to the brim sat in a corner, and various small holes punctured the lid, as if for airflow.

Storm Shadow let her go as she advanced toward the case. A long thick stick of the weirdest brown and black lay lazily across the sand, and as she stood close to it, nose almost brushing the box, she saw the telltale blood splatters of a gory fight.

"What..." Her voice faded as the stick moved—actually _moved_. One end lifted up, and Sage saw that it wasn't a stick at all—first, because a stick couldn't move so gracefully, and second, because sticks didn't have eyes: big beady black eyes which stared straight at her and reflected the shock on her face.

Sage froze as she gaped at the reptile. It was beautiful. Long and slender with the predictable flared-out half-moon arcs on either side of its throat, and the yellow and black stripes on the underside of its strong scaled belly. It rose to stand at her, and opened its jaw to reveal long white fangs that dripped some sort of clear liquid; most likely venom.

She could hear the soft warning hiss through the glass, and tensed, slowly backing away.

The snake lunged, and Sage threw herself sideways just as quick. It was instinct, she couldn't help it, and she would have avoided the bite, she knew, if the snake was free. But, unfairly, he was encased in the container and so slammed his flat face against the barrier savagely. He pulled back and struck again, his fangs lashing out, glinting dangerously, and coming short as they met the invisible wall between them.

The thick lines of clear fluid from his mouth oozed down the sides of the box, and Sage shuddered.

"The King Cobra," spoke a raspy voice. Sage spun to face the stranger. A man of average height stood behind her, his hands clasped behind his back as he regarded her hungrily. He was wearing a dark cloak, which underneath was a black collared shirt, black pants, black combat boots and a black mouth-mask that concealed the lower half of his face. "Fascinating creatures," he continued, looking past her. "Intelligent, with excellent senses and practically no natural predators. They are the longest and one of the most deadliest snakes in the world-not to mention aggressive. Even with their length, they're agile and quick. They have an amazing ability to inject copius amounts of venom into the veins, which can kill a man in a matter of minutes by attacking the nervous system. Pain, blurred vision, vertigo—those are the usual symptoms, which are then followed by paralysis, and a coma as the heart begins to stop beating. Respiratory failure occurs soon thereafter, and finally death." His voice was contorted as it came through the mask—not that his face was much different, either. It was a ghastly white, all hard angles, the skin twisted and splotched red and raw in places, as if it had been burned. His short black hair was shoulder-length and greasy, his eyes a very dark brown that ran the length of her body in an unnerving sort of intensity.

His choice of words were weird, too.

Actually, he was just outright creepy.

"And who are you?" He cocked a brow at her unfriendly voice, and smiled. Well, she thought it was a smile. His cheeks did crease as if squashed upwards by his hidden lips.

"Cobra Commander, and I presume you are Sage?" She shifted her weight on her legs and eyed him coldly.

"So you're the one that caused all this chaos for the past few days?"

"I would not call it chaos." Storm Shadow muttered, stepping forward. "Give me your hands."

Sage stared at the white-clad ninja blandly, and then held out her arms. He produced the key—which he must have gotten from Baroness—and undid the locks on her handcuffs. Her wrists slid free, and she drew them back swiftly, glaring.

"So, she's a bit of trouble is she, Storm Shadow?" The ninja stepped back and looked at Cobra Commander.

"Nothing I could not handle, Sir."

"Sir?" Sage asked, not at all meaning for it to be sarcastic. But, that was how it came out. And anyway, she couldn't help it. The ninja had never been this subdued. It was quite shocking, even though he still held himself arrogantly.

Storm Shadow fixed her with a shady gaze she didn't know. "Encase you did not remember, Sage, this is Cobra Commander—"

"Oh yes, yes, I know that." She interrupted, waving a hand carelessly. "But _you_ called _him_ 'Sir'! I mean come on, that's an improvement, don't you think?" He stared at her unresponsively, obviously portraying how much he wasn't understanding her, or how much it wasn't affecting him. "You know. Around Cobra you're not such a smartass. I rather it, really."

Cobra laughed roughly then, his eyes wrinkling at the corners. Sage looked at him plainly, cocking a brow. "I _would_ suggest you do not anger Storm Shadow, Sage. He is not a likely enemy you want."

Sage snorted. "The ninja doesn't scare me."

"Hm." she felt both their gazes and set her jaw, staring at the snake which, finally, had calmed down. It glared at her, though. An evil 'I'd kill you if I could' kind of glare.

She ignored it. She'd been getting _that_ look her whole life.

"You're arrogant, aren't you, Sage?" She looked back to Cobra and sighed.

"If you want somebody who's arrogant, I suggest Mr. Superior here." She gestured to Storm Shadow, who grinned. Cobra looked amused himself.

"You'll regret that, Sage," but he shrugged lightly. "Of course, it's _your_ funeral..."

"What do you want from me?" She asked abruptly, surprising the man.

"All down to business, I see." He smiled again. He seemed to be doing a lot of that. "How about you come to my office, and we can chat"—he glanced at Storm Shadow—"alone."

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thanks for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated! xx


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and so therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, script, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person, and his associates.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

Storm Shadow seemed to understand the subtle command from Cobra and nodded stiffly before walking away. Sage gazed after him as he left; he was so soft and precise in his movements it was fascinating to watch. He possessed a sort of animal grace, far beyond anything she had ever encountered before: every muscle in his body tensed and shifted just when he breathed. He was full of incredible power, she knew, but the way he slunk so quietly like a cat made him seem thin and dainty.

The ninja chose a door—Sage wasn't sure if it was at random or not—and disappeared behind it. The quiet click as the lock closed was drowned out by the hurrying footsteps of maids rushing by. Sage looked back to Cobra. He was gazing at the snake again rather fondly.

"Her name is _Kirā_," he stated, "Japanese for _Killer_."

Sage looked at him quickly. "_Her?_"

Now that he had pointed it out, the snake _did_ seem a little feminine: the soft shapes of her face, and her gentle, swift movements. She seemed to have an affectionate light in her eyes as she looked at Cobra, almost like, fondness...

The name suited her; after all—ignoring the irony—she was savage.

"What else could she be?" Cobra questioned scornfully, his tone sharp. "Surely you did not think she was _male."_

"I'm not that good at judging animal character," she spat stiffly. Cobra turned to her as she spoke, and gazed for quite a few minutes at the stern set of her jaw.

"...Very well. Now, back on track..." He spun on his heels and strode away across the hall. Sage, startled, stared after him briefly before jogging to catch up. It was easy with her long legs.

His hands were clasped behind his back again, his chin tilted upwards as if in defiance. A maid bustling by saw his determined walk and paused at a door, opening it for them and lowering her head. "Thank you, Maia." He said, not at all warmly, and passed through. Sage gave the slight woman a nod, and followed.

It was another hall. Sage's lip curled. Halls were boring and confusing, and this one was flanked on either side by multiple doors: all brown oak, all elaborate, and all wordless.

No sign, no mark, nothing to determine them from each other. How could she find herself around in such a maze?

"Do not look so _lost_," Cobra began, smiling. She glanced down to him and smoothed her face into an expressionless facade. "You will find your way around easier enough. Besides," he spread his arms like Storm Shadow had done in the Workshop, "these doors simply lead to bedrooms."

_Dear God_...Sage thought, her eyes widening. _How many troops does Cobra_ have?

"But they are not all occupied, as you would suspect," he continued, staring ahead. "There are those who are...deceased, in other words." Sage grimaced. _That doesn't help_.

They continued silently down the hall until Cobra took an abrupt right, and then left. A few more turns later—the hallways shorter each time they turned—and two large oaken doors sat before them; very large, and fairly daunting in their articulate designs. Swirls and twirls and shapes Sage had no name for flowed around their borders, and a large flat-headed line-striped snake sat in the centres of both. Its throat was flared out in the semicircle curves of the cobra, and, just like earlier that day when the King Cobra stood up against her, the lower half of its body was curled beneath it as its torso—or what Sage guessed was its torso—rose up above the ground.

And, just like before, its mouth was open and its teeth bared.

Sage sighed. Could she ever get a break, or would the damn sneaky serpents hate her everywhere?

There were two men beside the doors, too, flanking the entrance. They stood stock-still like statues, but were dressed in blue military fatigues and blue helmets that reached just below the ears with reflective screens shielding their eyes. Over the lower unprotected parts of their faces were red facemasks hiding their noses and mouths, and the insignia for Cobra Commander was, not to Sage's sarcastic surprise, a Cobra.

"Who would've thought?" She muttered dryly, and Cobra glanced across to her.

"Did you say something, Sage?"

"Oh, you know..." She began flippantly before pointing to the centre shirt of one of the men. "A Cobra, for Cobra, you know..._Very_ original."

Something quirked the Doctor's cheeks upward and he shook his head slightly as the troops pulled open the doors for him, their blue-gloved hands closing over rich golden handles.

The room beyond was flamboyant, in the least. Sage passed through the gap, glancing at the men. They said not a word and stared straight ahead, like robots. She frowned.

"Neo-Viper Soldiers," Cobra supplied, heading toward a large wooden desk in the centre of the room, "Injected with my new nanomite technology."

"Nano—_what?"_ she stammered.

"You will learn about that later. But for now, observe the room. It is beautiful, is it not?"

Sage looked up and around. The roof was tall and thin, supported on long wooden rafters. The carpet was a soft downy cream. The walls were a massive collection of grey rock. A large reflective window revealing nothing stood opposite, cloaked by a pair of cream curtains the same colour as the floor. A tall hollow fireplace stood to her left in the wall, lit and full of burning dark wood that cast strange shadows across the back-piece. A long deep oaken desk sat in the centre of the room—which was small and cosy, for once—accompanied by a black-leather chair and mountainous stacks of paper.

A small black two-seater lounge was positioned before the table, too. And a long bookcase stretched across the expanse of the right wall.

_It's amazing_, she thought silently, _how such a secluded and fortified building can be so unique and elaborate, even in the depths of the underground_...

Although Sage didn't really want to know how deep they truly were.

The doors closed behind her with an empty _boom_ and her nerves leapt. She looked to Cobra, who was waiting for her verdict and seated in the black chair behind the desk.

"A little plain," she began. "A little dark, and a little boring. But apart from that I'm happy you felt the need to express your midlife crises in such a public space." She was plainly lying through her teeth, her voice heavy with sarcasm. Of course, the room was _none_ of that, but she felt no need to express her fondness of the man's favourite dwelling when he had _clearly_ abducted her.

She wasn't going to express anything remotely close to attachment anytime soon, actually.

Cobra sighed. "And how did I know you were going to say that?"

"Because I'm witty, intelligent, smart and badass." she flashed a delightful smile at his critical stare.

"Well, if you are so smart, then maybe you know that all those words mean the same thing, and are simply synonyms for one another."

"Except badass," Sage pointed out.

"No," he concluded. "That means '_thick_.'"

"It means _awesomeness_ you don't have." Cobra cocked a brow. "Oh, sorry, Sir: I was unaware of the fact that you aren't up to today's modern standards of slang." The man didn't move, or even blink. "Because you're so medieval in living underground..." she added as an afterthought.

Not that that was true...

"And how does living underground make me medieval? We have lights, we have computers, and we have craft."

"Oh, that mumbo-jumbo began a long time ago." She tossed her head. "But hey, maybe that's when you were born."

Cobra's faced darkened. Obviously, she'd stricken a nerve.

"Sit down," he grinded crudely through his teeth, gesturing to the couch. His voice was raspy and cold; as it had been the first time he ever spoke to her. It held no emotion, no conviction, nothing but bluntness. It couldn't, she supposed. He _was_ speaking through a mechanical voice box...

But his facial expressions made up for that.

Quietly and obediently Sage crossed the room and sunk down into the couch. A door she hadn't seen before sat in the corner of the room, hidden from her earlier position by the hefty bookcase beside it.

"My room," Cobra explained, and just as he spoke, it opened. Baroness stepped out with her head bowed and her body in its full tight-black-clothed glory, and when she looked up, horror flashed across her face.

"Why hello my dear," Sage began in a sickly sweet voice. "Hoping to fraternize with the Doctor, were we?"

"_You_—"she spat.

"Of course, _I_ have nothing against it." She continued, glancing slyly at Cobra. "But the old man _is_ a bit aged, don't you think? Even for you?"

"I have a _husband!_" Baroness shrieked, moving forward to slam the door shut. "I wouldn't even _think_ of it!"

Sage cocked her head to the side, eyes flashing enigmatically. "I think we have already been over this topic before. Remember, in the cabin at the snow, Baroness?"

The woman's brows furrowed as she thought. And when she remembered, she snarled in outright rage.

"About bloody time..." Sage muttered, propping her elbow up on the armrest and leaning her face into her palm as she looked across to Cobra's perplexed gaze. "Secret women's business, Sir."

"Oh...?" He was lost, and the puzzled expression on his face was priceless.

"So," Sage turned back to Baroness. "What _were_ you doing in there, then?"

"That is none of your business!"

"You look a little flustered, woman." Sage could never pass up the opportunity to dig out some much-needed disrespect. And she was loving the reactions she was getting. "Why?"

Before the woman could reply, the big brown doors Cobra and Sage had entered through earlier opened slightly, and a white form slipped through. Sage glanced back and surveyed the rather ninja-like clothes: white baggy pants, a puffed vest that seemed like it held padding or a large bulletproof vest, white stomping boots, and above it all a white cloak that rather resembled a butler's waistcoat. A utility belt was slung around his narrow waist, and his katanas, as always, were slotted in the sheaths running diagonal across his back.

Sage grinned. "Stormy!" She cried in fake affection. The ninja looked at her blankly, well, she guessed it was blank, because his face was hidden behind his mask. His footsteps were silent across the carpet, and he reached up to pull the white cover from his face, clipping it to his hip. "Looking after my daggers?"

He ignored her. "You called for me, Sir?" Sage whirled in her seat, gazing at Cobra, who had composed himself swiftly and leant back in his seat. She didn't recall him talking to anybody to go grab the ninja.

"We always have a mission debrief," he explained to her, and then gestured for Storm Shadow to take a seat. As the white ninja sat down beside Sage, Baroness slunk past like a shadow. "You too, Baroness."

The woman turned rigid, stalled, and spun slowly. Keeping her eyes carefully from Sage's, for obvious reasons seeing as Sage was shooting her haughty daggers; she dwelled near the edge of the desk.

"Here, Baroness." Sage stood, seizing the rare opportunity to escape Storm Shadow, and moved to the side. "Take my seat."

Baroness looked at her in shock.

"What?" Sage asked defensively. "I'm not _completely_ void of hospitality. I just chose not to show it much towards you. You know, because we don't get along." The woman had the heart to look pretentious as she sat, but said nothing. Obviously, Cobra subdued her too. "No offence. But I do doubt you think much better of me, either—"

"Enough!" Cobra commanded sharply, and everyone looked toward him, Storm Shadow with a wily smile. "I do not _know_ what is going on between the two of you, but I _refuse_ to sit here and listen to you two quarrel! In my office and in my missions, you will get _along_. Do you both understand?"

It was the first show of direct power Cobra had thrust in Sage's face, and to tell the truth, she was slightly taken aback.

"Yes, Sir," Baroness murmured quietly. Sage turned and walked toward the fire.

"Sage, do I make myself clear?"

"_Peachy_," she snapped scathingly, drawing off her gloves and warming her hands over the flames. The neck warmer, jacket and beanie grew heavy and hot on her body, and she shed them off, too.

"Hey, hey, no stripping," Storm Shadow warned slyly, and she cast him a cynical smile.

"You'd love it, _ninja_."

The obvious _thwack_ as Cobra slammed a hand against his face made everyone glance toward him. He sighed—a long, low and rather irritated sound—before lifting his dark gaze to peer through his fingers. He pointed accusingly at Storm Shadow and Sage in turn. "And do not you two even _think_ about starting, alright?"

"We started a while ago..." Sage muttered, just loud enough for him to hear. Everybody tensed, and Cobra thumped a loud fist against his desk.

Silence engulfed the room.

"...So," he managed eventually, rasping noisily through his facemask. "What happened?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thanks for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated! xx


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and so therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, script, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person, and his associates.

**Warning!** A small part of the following text will contain strong language...

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

"There's not much to discuss." Baroness stated, gazing unconcernedly at her fingernails. "We flew in, as you asked, and set the troops up around the base of the mountain. You know, to keep an eye on things." She dropped her hand to rest it lazily along the armrest of the sofa, glancing sideways at Storm Shadow. "Encase the ninja couldn't handle Sage by himself." Storm Shadow ignored her goading tone rather effectively, staring with an intense gaze at the curtains behind Cobra's head.

"And so he went in and introduced himself while we waited...And waited...And waited..." Sage turned her back to the fire and looked at Baroness quietly. The woman ignored her. "Soon, we saw our dear little Sage flying—"

"_Little_," Sage scoffed gently. Her voice went unheard. She might as well not have spoken.

"—the mountain like a _little_ speck of impurity against the pure white snow..." Obviously, Sage's comment hadn't fallen on deaf ears. She inhaled deeply, quietly, glaring. "Of course, she loves the speed," Baroness turned and glanced back at Sage. "Don't you, darl?"

The blonde-headed woman's lip curled and she narrowed her eyes. "_Darl?_" she spat venomously. Baroness gave a fleeting nervous look and turned back around to Cobra, clearing her throat.

"And so, she entered the house, too." The dark-haired woman shrugged. "And we waited..."

Cobra looked across to Storm Shadow, "And what then?"

As the white-clad ninja delved into a detailed recollection that astounded Sage with his excellent memory, she slowly edged away from the fire and drifted over toward the books lining the shelves. She reached up a long dainty finger and traced it along the spines facing her; spilling nothing of their grammatical secrets with their simplistic titles.

Most of them were scientific: _The Heart, The Amazing Science Of The Human Body, Radiation Technology, Nuclear Weapons of War_...But a few delved further into the talent of world domination and evil takeovers: _The Dagger, The Machinegun, Taking Over The World!, How To Use A Mortar: For Dummies_. Sage snorted, and shook her head.

And then some were downright random: _How To Manage Difficult Soldiers, Legendary Legions_, and, to Sage's genuine surprise, _Ninjas_. She bit her tongue to hold back her laughter, and froze when Storm Shadow murmured something of 'killing her associates.'

Slowly, she turned and faced him, arms crossed. He stared right back at her, testing her with his gaze. "...and he reloaded, and aimed, and fired."

Sage was very aware of how still she had become, focussed solely on her steady breathing. She forced herself to move though, forced herself to blink and breathe and swallow. She opened her mouth, but was stopped by Baroness.

"He had a rather good shot, you know. Of course, he _is_ a sniper. One of the best. Both headshots—no, wait, one headshot, right here"—she pointed to her temple—"and the other to the throat. Sheared it almost clean in half. A painful way to die, if you ask me."

Something began to boil deep down in Sage, something hot, livid, and ready to burst. She swallowed around the bile rising in her throat, carefully keeping her thoughts away from those that would surely make her snap.

_How the hell could he say that?_

_Why is she such a heartless _bitch?

_Fucking assholes, talking about my mates like that_...

And instead forced a nasty smile onto her face.

"Of course it'd be painful, _you __dickhead_." The woman paused and looked across to her, lips parted slightly. "The sniper's shit; can't shoot for shit and probably lives like the rest of you: in _shit_."

But her words weren't helping her cool off any steam, and instead, were frustrating her that tiny bit more. Her fists—unaware of when she had actually curled her fingers into fists—began to shake.

"Sage—"Cobra began.

"Oh Sage," Baroness sighed, standing. "Dear, _dear_ Sage." a small wicked smile spread across her lips as she turned her back to Cobra and Storm Shadow. "It was only in our deepest concern that we thought it best to separate you from those pitiless scum you called 'friends.'" Sage stiffened, and her blood turned cold.

Cold with horror.

Neither of them saw as Storm Shadow stood and slunk silently behind Baroness. His soundless legs carried him deftly over to Cobra, and he bent down to whisper something in the man's ear. Cobra's eyes lit up, and he grinned secretly.

"Come over here," Sage snarled quietly, "and say that to my face. I _dare_ you."

And of course, Baroness couldn't resist. She wafted fearlessly over to Sage, so close that if she said anything low enough, Cobra wouldn't hear.

But they expected Storm Shadow to listen in.

"My dear," Baroness muttered quietly. "I enjoyed every _moment_ of watching you weep over those pathetic corpses of your associates. Of course, so did Storm Shadow, but..." She faded off and shrugged.

"'Pathetic?'" Sage quoted lowly in a tone so full of malice it was lethal. "You think _they_ were pathetic, and yet here you stand, believing _you're_ _not?_"

The woman's eyes flashed. "They were _nothing_ to you," she seethed. "And you _know__ it!_ You didn't care for them! You didn't love them! I know you would've stopped _us_ from killing them, but I bet it was because _you_ wanted to slaughter them yourself once you were _finished_ with them!" Sage's head reared back and her eyes widened in shock. She knew it was childish to be played by such meaningless words, but right now, she wasn't thinking.

"_You_ think _I_ wanted to kill them?" She spat maliciously, voice rising in distress and fury. "_You_ think _I_ would kill them when I was..._finished_...with them?" They were unaware of Cobra's frown as he leaned back into his chair, and of Storm Shadow's cocked brow at Sage's savageness. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you! Jesus _Christ_ you're a fucked-up whore!" She stalked aggressively toward Baroness, her arms falling from their folded positions over her chest to drop down in convulsed fists by her sides. Her shed layers—the beanie, gloves, neck warmer and jacket—dropped to the floor softly. "_How dare you say that?_ How _dare_ you accuse me killing them! HOW DARE YOU MOCK THEM!"

Baroness had paled remarkably at her outburst and stumbled backwards, stammering for words too terrified to voice themselves. Sage followed her every step, and stopped only when the cowering woman struck up against the side of Cobra's desk.

"You _forget_ Baroness that it was _you_ who killed them and _you_ who I will punish first." And she struck out blindly, her fist slamming against the soft skin over Baroness's bony cheek. The woman's head snapped to the side as a fine spray of blood exploded from her mouth. She was sent sprawling backwards across the expanse of Cobra's desk, scattering papers and pens in her wake. Sage lunged forward once more, this time to wrap her skilled hands around that slender fleshy neck and throttle the woman to death—

But iron fists gripped her by the arms and dragged her back, writhing and screaming, from Baroness.

"Sage," Storm Shadow's calm voice called through the turmoil of her mind, beckoning to be heard, "Sage."

Sage continued to thrash about in his grasp, chest heaving and heat racing. Her wild eyes were focussed solely on Baroness, her lips pulled back in a nasty snarl. "You will pay." She seethed quietly. "Mark my words, Baroness. _You will pay!_"

"Take her outside!" Cobra snapped brusquely before standing and helping Baroness to her feet. The woman reached up and wiped at the thin trickle of blood down her chin, then cast a poisonous glare in Sage's direction.

Complying, Storm Shadow dragged Sage backwards towards the doors, his grip tight—though Sage could feel no pain through the raging adrenalin in her system. As if hearing everything—though the guards probably did—the doors swung open. The guardsmen stared, stunned and shocked, as Storm Shadow dragged Sage through the open entryway.

She forced him to stop on the threshold, though, by gripping tightly to the doorframe and snarling at Baroness. "I'll kill you, Baroness!" Storm Shadow gave a violent tug, and her hands slipped. But even as the doors began to close, everybody could hear her screaming threat. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Her writhing, twisting, snarling mass jerked violently against Storm Shadow's strong hold, and both guardsmen were too afraid to ask if the ninja needed assistance. Instead, they slammed the doors quickly close and repositioned themselves like silent statues, watching helplessly as the ninja wound his vice grip across Sage's chest and spun her around.

"Sage!" he snapped so strictly and commandingly it had the soldiers cowering in their boots. His voice also seemed to wake Sage out of her savage rage and stare at him, startled.

Slowly, the anger began to seep away, and he said nothing as she calmed; just stared with that shady gaze of his into her eyes, _demanding_ her to look at him and only him.

Something bubbled in her throat, and before Sage could stop it, she let out a wildly impulsive sob, and collapsed against his chest. The soldiers watched on in amazement as the ninja stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. But his hold did soften, and he wrapped his arms tentatively around her.

Only when Sage began to shake silently—after moments of hush and stillness—did he realise what was happening. He bent his head down, frowning. "Are you _crying?_" The word was so beyond him. He'd never seen a woman cry like this for a long, long time, because really, the only female contact he had was with Baroness and a few fellow female Vipers. But he couldn't be sure if the Vipers ever cried; they were always wearing helmets.

Sage said nothing at his bewildered tone and surprised stare, only gripped tighter at his shoulders to hold her quaking form upright. She couldn't stop. It had been so many years since she'd let herself fall apart like this. She'd covered up her rage and her grief and her fear by throwing herself recklessly into the missions that Michael found for her. And if that didn't work, she drilled into the punching bag like a boxer to his competitor, draining all the pain, all the regret and all the terror from her system.

But it seemed all to boil to the surface now—like a violent and vicious tidal wave—bowling her over and leaving her lying like a helpless wreck to pick up the pieces.

But, as Sage soon found out, she slowly ran dry of tears and simply stood there in the strong hold of Storm Shadow's arms as the quaking resided and she was left, feeble and boneless, to gasp quietly into his muscular chest. A large hand shifted from her waist and patted her head, moving in soft smooth strokes down the length of her hair. The action was oddly comforting, and she closed her eyes, inhaled a ragged breath, and pushed herself back from the ninja.

Immediately he drew his arms away, and after a swift glance of his considerate expression, the cold, impenetrable mask closed back over his face.

And there she was, once again, left to stand before the solid wall of a trained ninja assassin.

It was amazing, she had to admit, how his moods could change so quickly. They were like the climatic moods of the arctic: so sudden and unexpected at times.

As she had just witnessed.

Sage turned when the doors began to open, and the hands of the ninja brushed her shoulders ever so slightly, as a warning. She set her jaw and inhaled deeply, lifting her head as Cobra stalked out. He shoved the pile of her discarded snow clothes into the arms of a Viper soldier and kept moving.

Sage wasn't sure if she expected him to stop a few metres away or to stride right up to her and shove his face into her personal space. But he did neither. Instead, he came just close enough to her for reaching distance, and then lashed out brutally. Sage's head whipped to the side with a painful force that cracked the bones in her neck and irritated a red mark of humiliation across her cheek.

She stood there for quite a few moments, staring at the ground. She forced herself to breathe, to swallow, to think _clearly_; and her teeth began to grind together.

"You will _not_, under _any_ circumstances, raise a hand against you teammate! _Do you hear me?_" She shifted her gaze to glance out the corner of her eye and look at Cobra. His face was twisted in fury and pain, and something, almost like betrayal, flashed in his eyes.

He said nothing else, just stood there and waited for her to speak.

Something black moved behind him and Sage looked up to see Baroness lingering rather pompously in the doorway. Her arms were crossed smugly across her chest, and her bloody chin was raised high; a taunting smile baring her teeth.

Sage's whole body tensed and Storm Shadow's hands wound ever so slightly tighter on her shoulders. "Yes...Sir." she said with difficulty, not moving her gaze.

"Look at _me_, Sage!" She snapped her eyes back. "Now," he glanced behind to Baroness as he spoke, "do _not_ provoke her, and _you_," he pointed at Sage, "hold yourself under control!"

"Yes Sir." They muttered simultaneously, and then cast each other menacing glares that would've sent a bear cowering back into his cave.

"Good. Baroness, you are dismissed."

The woman made like she was going to say something, thought better of it, and stalked off stiffly down the hall, disappearing around the bend in a corridor. Sage watched her go darkly as Cobra said something, most likely replying to what the ninja would have whispered in his ear earlier. "Indeed she is quite the fighter, Storm Shadow."

"Well _obviously_," Sage spat, shedding him a noxious glare. He hardened all over, and stepped back quietly. Storm Shadow's hands squeezed painfully firm over her shoulders, sending her a warning.

"Show her to her room." Cobra said quietly, and then turned and stalked back into his office, calling out "dismissed!" as he did so.

The ninja's hands eased softly off Sage's shoulder, but before the pair left to walk down the hall he turned to the guards by the closed doors and gave both of them a cold, threatening glare.

"You will say nothing about what has gone on here, understood? _Nothing!_"

Fearing his wrath, both soldiers nodded swiftly, their helmets quivering with their terrified enthusiasm.

"Good." A small haughty smile quirked his lips upwards and he straightened, collected Sage's clothes from one of their arms, then turned and signalled for Sage to follow him down the hall.

* * *

><p>As they walked silently down the passages—which were, to Sage's utmost disbelief, all identical; except for a few dented walls and scratched doors and whatnot, leaving her wondering how the <em>hell<em> the ninja knew where he was going—she glanced across to Storm Shadow. He wasn't rigid in his stride, but he wasn't sloppy, either. Rather...comfortable, yet demanding in his presence. It made her question how he could hold himself so fluidly and yet not look submissive, even as he spoke respectfully to Cobra.

The ninja caught her staring out of the corner of his eye, and she looked away quickly when he turned his head.

"Something you like, Sage?"

She looked at him, running her eyes over his body, and cocked a brow. "Not on you."

Now that wasn't _entirely_ true...But he didn't need to know that.

He grinned, as if not believing her, but said nothing. Being a ninja and all, he probably _did_ know.

Sage grimaced.

"And here we are." He said abruptly, stirring her from her thoughts and forcing her to gaze around.

Same red carpet, same wooden walls, same oaken doors, same dreary yellow lights buzzing overhead...Sage sighed and leaned against the door Storm Shadow was pointing to. It was at the end of the hall, at least. It wouldn't be too hard to find once she found the right course, in any case.

"What, no showing me around H.Q.?" She asked innocently

"You cannot be trusted to go anywhere by yourself yet. Cobra believes it is better to keep you in the dark." She snorted and tossed her head arrogantly, his lips curved upwards.

"How do you know yourself so well around here? It's all the _same_."

He shrugged, neatly handing Sage her clothes and stepping back. "You get to know it. It is not that bad once you have been here for a while."

"How long _have_ you been here, Storm Shadow?" She asked curiously.

His face fell blank, and he gazed at her silently for quite a few moments. "...A few years." She nodded. It wasn't unusual for someone to be employed for such a long time in the same workplace, and in a military compound, at that.

And, she supposed, he _was_ a ninja. He'd live the rest of his life like this: a hired gun sent out to kill.

A quite effective hired gun...

"Your training begins tomorrow." He stated, and she looked up at him quickly. "I will meet you here, outside in the hall, at 0600 hours."

And before she could reply, he turned swiftly on his heels and vanished around the corner.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thanks for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated! xx


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and so therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, script, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person, and his associates.

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><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

Nothing had been more blissful in the past few days than taking a shower. As soon as Sage had opened the door to her new room, she'd rushed straight to the bathroom and stripped off her clothes. Now, sighing contentedly under the warmth of clean water, she couldn't help but let her mind wander.

How long would she be here? What did training consist of tomorrow? What if she saw Baroness again? What about her weapons?

Turning off the tap, she whipped the white towel off its silver rack on the wall beside the showering cubicle and made to reach down to pick up her clothes—

Instead, she cursed loudly, slapped a hand against her forehead, and gritted her teeth. _I forgot to get my damn bag from the chopper!_

A soft knock echoed from the hallway door then, calling to her, and she stiffened, looking up.

What if it was Storm Shadow? Or Baroness?

Or, she shuddered, Cobra?

She glanced down at her snow clothes. They were filthy. She didn't want to pull them on again.

The knock came again, more persistent and a tiny bit louder.

"I'm _coming!_" She snapped angrily; hesitated, cursed, and rushed toward the door, making sure her towel was tight around her body and not revealing too much leg. She cracked open the entrance and peered out through the small opening. A Viper soldier stood before her in a helmet and blue uniform with a folded pile of military clothes in his left hand, and in his other hand a very obvious bag.

"My clothes..." Sage breathed in relief, and opened the door wider. The man—or she presumed it was a man with such broad shoulders—seemed frozen stock-still as he gazed at her behind his tinted visor.

She looked down. The towel was still wrapped around her body, and the last time she checked her hair was soaking wet and flat from the shower.

Not to mention her cheeks would be slightly flushed.

Sage held out a hand silently. The man didn't move.

"My clothes, please!" she snapped, and he discarded them quickly, nodding politely. She nodded back, said a soft thank you, and slammed the door shut. "Stupid ogling men..." She muttered before dressing into her night clothes, leaving her dirty ones in the bathroom, flicking off the light, and collapsing onto the soft cold mattress with an exhausted groan.

* * *

><p><em>The blade came down with a vicious hack and cut through flesh. A shrill and hollow scream pierced the cold air, and gasping breath clouded through the misty fog like a ghost.<em> _She felt herself swaying, and her vision tilted. With a hollow _thump_ she collapsed against the hard ground, and the cool grey rocks underfoot dug into her spine. The shadow before her resembled that of a human, and something rose high above its head, flashing a glinting silver weapon that stared down at her._

_She screamed as it came down again and sliced through her skin—_

* * *

><p>Sage woke with a yelp and twisted to the side instinctively, tumbling over the edge of the bed and hitting the floor heavily. She sighed, blinked sleepily, and rested her cheek against the fluffy cream carpet.<p>

"Good morning ground..." She muttered, closing her eyes. Sleep wouldn't come. "...Dammit..." Forcing herself onto her knees, she arched her back in a stretch and yawned widely. _I feel like a cat_.

Shambling into a dazed stance, Sage scuffled into the bathroom and ran the tap. She splashed cold water up over her face and gasped, tensing. Grabbing a towel, she looked into the mirror.

The paleness of sleep was washed from her skin, leaving behind a blushing red from the cold. Her hair wasn't so much a tangled mess as it was smooth, but she still thought she better run a brush through it.

Turning, she took in the bathroom for the first time since she'd been in there.

It was white: white floor, white walls, white taps, and even white towels. So white it blinded her and she staggered from the room hastily.

She pulled out a pair of exercise shorts and a grey singlet from her bag beside the bed, childishly ignoring the uniform the soldier had given her last night.

Or Neo-Viper soldier: he was wearing the same uniform as the guards by Cobra's office.

Once she was done and had made the bed and folded her pyjamas neatly, she glanced around for a window, then found there were no windows, and cringed slightly.

...They were underground...They were in the deep, cold, watery depths of frozen land...

...And there was no way to see the daylight...

But there was a bedside clock on the bedside table beside, obviously, the bed. And it read 6:00am.

Just as she remembered her conversation with Storm Shadow yesterday, a loud obnoxious fist banged against the entrance, making her start. Quickly, she pulled on a pair of socks and training runners before hurrying—and dreading every step—toward the door, and the person who she knew was behind it.

She opened it, slightly flustered, and gazed at the ninja blandly. He was dressed exactly the same way as he was yesterday. But now his mask was back on.

"You know, I really _did_ say 0600 hours." He stated, gazing at his nails tediously, not bothering to look at her. "And you are late. It is now 0603. And you are dressed inappropriately."

Her lip curled, making it very evident that she did not like his antics. "Maybe I don't _want_ to go to training with you. And did it ever occur to you that I am _not_ a soldier, so therefore I don't _need_ to wear their uniform?" She spat, stepping out and closing the door quietly. Storm Shadow looked up.

"You are to Cobra. Now, go change."

She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her gaze. "I don't see _you_ wearing the uniform."

"I have my reasons."

"What? That you're a _ninja_ and need your precious little gear?" She snorted. "How pathetic..."

A fist slammed into the door behind her and she jumped sideways with a yelp. His other hand reached down and twisted the knob at her hip. The door swung inwards and she stumbled back blindly.

He moved to stand in the entrance, walling it off with his solid build as she staggered inside.

"Get _changed_, Sage, or you will never leave this room." She crossed her arms again and turned her nose up at him. His face was in shadow, but he seemed even more daunting as he stood there, glowering darkly at her.

"_Fine!_" she spat. "But close the door, you pervert!"

He slammed it shut with a loud boom, and she was left to stand there and glare at his vanished form before grudgingly changing into the blue uniform brought to her.

"_Fuckin' ninjas_..." She snarled.

* * *

><p>Sage walked back over to the door and threw it open once more, glowering.<p>

"And if you try to run, I will just drag you there." Storm Shadow stated bluntly, looking at her as she re-emerged.

It wasn't that the uniform was uncomfortable, she found, it was just that it made her look like she _belonged_ to Cobra: a good little obedient pet. But she belonged to _no one_. And she was _never_ an obedient pet.

Everyone knew that, and anyone to think otherwise would have their ankles gnawed off.

Storm Shadow smiled at her sulking frown and pushed away from the wall he was casually leaning against. He made to walk in the direction he had yesterday, not even glancing back. "Sage, if you do not follow, I _will_ make your life hard."

Obviously, he was very serious about this training.

Grumbling, Sage stalked angrily after him, glaring daggers at his unprotected back the whole way.

* * *

><p>Hallways...Passageways...Corridors...Chambers...Whatever you wanted to call them, Sage walked them—in a rather tedious and uninterested fashion. And the ninja walked swiftly, too. She was almost jogging to keep up, and slightly puffed of breath. So it was good that she didn't have to talk.<p>

And maybe that was why he was walking so fast, so she _couldn't_.

_Asshole..._

Storm Shadow stopped abruptly before her and she almost crashed into his back, caught deep in thought. She froze just in time to break and back away hastily. He turned slightly, glanced at her, and rested his hand on the doorhandle. He seemed to be waiting for something.

"What? We're just going to stand here all day?" He cocked a brow at her snideness. "Oh! Maybe we'll learn the art of _ninja patience!_ Wouldn't _that_ be fun?"

He turned fully to her then, and regarded her with a hard critical eye. She didn't like his intensity; it was slightly unnerving. And he didn't move for quite some time.

Growing impatient, she began to fidget. "_What?_"

"Stand tall, Sage. You cannot intimidate your enemies by slouching weakly."

"I am _not_ weak!" She retorted, but set her shoulders back arrogantly. "Better?"

"Stop injecting venom into your gaze. It is giving away your actions." Her face hardened, and she slightly narrowed her eyes, but smoothed her expression to a plain, void, and eerie mask.

"And do not," he began before opening the door. "Challenge me again." She watched him step into the room silently. Not moving. "Enter!" He snapped, and she jumped slightly at the rashness in his voice.

Tentatively, she slithered past his outstretched arm holding the door open and gazed around. The room was large, the floor cold hard cement. Great wall-sized mirrors surrounded the space, distorting the view around her to overwhelm her slightly. The far end of the room was cloaked in shadow.

She glanced to the walls behind her that flanked the door. They were stacked with various weapons: swords, daggers, throwing stars, maces, axes, and things she had no name for. They were all polished to a fine lustrous shine, and they all winked nastily at her.

She looked down at the black carpet beneath her feet. It was hard and flat, as if worn down by multiple feet over the years, and it was raised by a three-step platform that led down onto the cement.

This 'stage' surrounded the whole of the centre floor below, making it seem like an arena. Soft yellow light shone down from the roof, and Sage knew that if it was turned off the room would be pitch-black.

She glanced at Storm Shadow expectantly. He was gazing just as keenly at her.

Slowly, he pulled back from holding the door open, and it slammed close with a tumultuous _boom_.

Goosebumps prickled Sage's skin, and a light nervous sweat broke out down her back.

"This is my space," he began, turning and walking down the steps deftly. "This is my territory. And if you do not _honour_ it, I will punish you as I see fit." He turned as he stood in the centre of the room, and his teeth glinted sharply as he smiled. "Nothing Cobra can do will save you in here."

Her heart raced slightly, and she felt something curl in her gut that she had no name for.

"Come down here, Sage." He said softly, signalling her with his hand. Not really feeling like angering him, but holding herself argumentative all the same, Sage walked down the steps and advanced. As she walked across the hard floor, she spotted little dark patches of red. _Blood_. Her face twisted in revulsion.

Some patches were also quite large, as if a wounded hand had smeared gore across the floor, which, she supposed, was probably what had happened.

"I have never seen you so submissive, dear student. It is actually quite charming."

"Student?" she questioned boldly, looking up.

"Yes, student. Well, actually, in this domain," he looked around, "I will call you Daughter."

"Why?"

"It is what we Ninja Masters call our students in the temple."

"Ninja _Master?_" Sage asked, balking. "I thought you were just a ninja!"

"_Just_ a ninja?" he questioned, gaze narrowing slightly. "We are not _just_ ninjas!"

Sage tensed and stepped back, but Storm Shadow's hand whipped out and gripped her by the wrist. She froze. "I will make it very clear just one more time." He said quietly, and she looked up into his shadowy gaze, snarling. It was malevolent. "You defy me one more time, and you will regret it. Understood?"

"Sure, _Sir_." she sneered, biting her tongue when she addressed him as a superior. But at least she'd mocked the name, too: she was hoping _not_ to show him how much he intimidated her.

His eyes flashed something dark, before they sealed shut once more.

"Master, or Sensei, Sage. Those are the names you will address me by."

"Not _Dumbass?_" She mocked wittily before she could stop it. Her stomach cringed slightly.

Storm Shadow's grip tightened painfully, and he stepped closer. "No," he muttered lowly, twisting her arm. "You will _not_ call me that."

He continued to twist her arm, and as he did so, he darted nimbly behind Sage and bent it up in a chicken-wing behind her shoulders. She gasped, arching her back, and his other arm came up around her throat. "Understood?" He growled in her ear, and she glanced up into the wall-sized mirror opposite. His menacing gaze reflected back at her, his lips at her ear.

When she said nothing, he twisted her arm harder. She cried out slightly.

And when it felt like he was going to snap her shoulder, she broke.

"_Yes._" She breathed painfully.

"'Yes' _what?_"

Her arm shifted again.

"_Sensei_," she whispered. The word left her mouth so easily it was like a home language.

Storm Shadow released her and came to stand before her again, regarding her quietly. She grimaced as she moved her shoulder, knowing she would feel it tomorrow. Then she shot him a vindictive look.

"Good." He tilted his head to the side as she met his gaze quietly, with only a little irritation. And then he grinned devilishly.

"Let us begin training."

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thanks for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated! xx


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and so therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, script, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person, and his associates.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine<strong>

Sage stood and waited as the white ninja drew back into the thick darkness on the other side of the room to retrieve something. She took the time to turn her back on him and gaze around. There wasn't much to look at; it was bland, crude and boring. The only interesting things were the weapons on the far wall, and her reflection.

She looked like a soldier. Once, when she was still in school—or so she'd been told—she was said to have seriously thought about joining the army. But she'd quickly canned it. Michael said it was because raging around for the whole world to see, aiming rifles at people, defending her country; she hadn't really felt up to it...And why was it that _he_ had to tell _her_ why? Why couldn't she remember herself?

And then she'd been kidnapped, trained, and given orders. And just like a good little soldier, she'd obeyed.

Maybe she was a soldier, in a way. She wasn't the stereotypical hardhead in uniform marching in synchronisation to the drumbeat and her Commander's voice, but she went on missions, she wielded guns, she shot people—mostly terrorists—in a secret sort of way to defend her country.

Yeah, the Government didn't know about her, and sure, she had none of the discipline that the army required. But...

Of course, she also knew very little about the military.

Still...

Sage reached up and smoothed back her hair, gazing at her face quietly. It was pale, as fair-haired people usually were, but not a sickly pastiness that made her look unhealthy. It was a smooth, soft, even tone, offering a bright contrast for her blue eyes and pink lips. Her shaped brows were a slight shade darker than her hair, and her lashes were shady and extensive. At the moment, her long hair was tied up in a ponytail, revealing a willowy neck and slender shoulders.

Of course, Sage had never completely hated her form—it was toned, lean, lengthy, and shapely—but these clothes hid that.

And maybe that was a good thing, too. For reasons unknown to her.

"You women and your observations..." Storm Shadow muttered quietly, and she looked over her shoulder in the mirror, startled, stiffening when she saw the white ninja gazing at her. "You are all the same." Sage pushed her shoulders back arrogantly and set her jaw.

"And you ninjas are all bastards." She turned around to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Aren't you? You have no home, no family, no _life_. All you ever are are loaded weapons used for stealth and assassination. There's not much to such ways, is there?"

His eyes glinted slightly, and he stepped closer. "Then we are alike, are we not?" She cocked a brow, acting bold, but on the inside, her stomach tightened. "You have no home, no family, no friends. Do you? You have _nothing_."

"I have my abilities." She seethed quietly. "I _had_ my weapons."

"But what is in a life like that, other than killing? To me, we are alike. We are both assassins, we are both rogue, we are both hired killers. We are skilled like others would never imagine. Of course, I have more skills than you, but..."

"Oh, you're also a smartass prick." Sage smiled tersely. "No, there are many, _many_ things that differentiate us, Storm Shadow. I am _nothing_ like you. And I will _never_ be. Because I have a heart, I have dreams, _I have a life_."

"You _had_ a life." He murmured. "Now, you have nothing."

"Of course," she spat bitterly, looking away. "Cobra's a _hole_. There's nothing here. It's all shit. A waste of time. A stupid 'military' compound." She snorted. "Cobra isn't military. He's just a simple terrorist with a thirst for power." She shook her head. "He is a failed cause. The whole _concept_ of Cobra is a failed cause. Just like _you_."

She watched as the ninja's face hardened, before he slowly turned his back to her and stared at an object in the centre of the room. It hung down from the roof on a thick metal chain that looped around the pipes lining the roof, and it was in the shape of a long black rectangle, with soft curving corners.

It was a punching bag. Sage looked over at Storm Shadow and cocked a brow. He moved to stand behind it, opposite Sage so the bag was between them.

"Let us see what you have got." He was smiling slightly.

"On a _punching bag?_" she asked incredulously.

"Well, Cobra would not appreciate me much if I allowed you to beat a few of his fellow viper soldiers into stupor, now would he?"

"And I thought Cobra meant _nothing_ in here."

The ninja shrugged. "He wants to keep his men in capable order. I respect that."

"Then why can't I punch you?"

Storm Shadow seemed very amused by the idea, because his mouth spread into a face-splitting grin that was slightly unnerving and slightly hungry. "You will fight against me, Sage, when I believe you can handle yourself against me. Right now, I would overpower you, and you know it. Actually," he added as an afterthought. "No one here has ever fought against me yet. I am just that damn good."

"Or just that damn scared." She spat. "Anyway, I'm not _asking_ to fight _against_ you. I just want you to stand there and let me beat you to a pulp."

The white-clad man threw his head back and bellowed a laugh that echoed loudly through the room. He looked down again, eyes sparkling with glee. "That is a very irrational thought, and it is not the way of my people. We do not just stand there and receive punishment. We fight _back_. Anyway, that would mean that I am exactly like the punching bag. And it is not much difference then, is it?"

"Actually," Sage replied, crossing her arms. "It is. You'd be a much more authentic punching bag, you know, because you look like a human. Its more my target."

"We are not killing anyone today, Sage. Now, unless you want to face the penalties, I suggest you come over here."

She stood there, deliberating quietly for a few moments before moving. Grumbling under her breath and narrowing her eyes to an irate glare, she stalked over and stood opposite Storm Shadow.

"Now," he moved his arms and placed his hands either side of the punching bag, holding it still. "I want you to punch the centre, with all the strength you have got. Do not worry about your stance, I want to see your power and how you naturally hold yourself, first." Sage rolled her eyes and sighed. "Now."

Unfolding her arms, she struck at the bag softly, not at all trying. It did move slightly, but when she looked at the ninja, he was glowering. "You will try, Daughter, and you will try _hard_."

"That _was_ hard." She replied, not at all fazed by his stare. His fingers dug into the bag, but when he spoke, his voice was surprisingly calm. And lethal.

"Do not test my patience, Sage."

"Or what?"

"I will not hold back." His words sent an eerie chill down her spine that Sage oddly understood. She was sure he meant that if he began to punish her, he would beat her as hard and close to death as he could without actually killing her. She shrugged.

"I thought ninjas were meant to have good self-control?"

He moved suddenly—so swiftly it was impossible to watch him—and she was sent flying backward with a powerful kick to the stomach that stole all the breath and strength from her lungs and body. As she came down onto the hard ground, sliding for a metre or so, her arms—trapped under her back—scraped against the hard ground, and she wheezed weakly when she came to a stop. "Now, I am being lenient on our first lesson, Daughter, but I must also make a good impression. One more slipup, and you will wish you never had." His voice was surprisingly far away, but still very, very bitter.

Sage made to smile, she made to say something and laugh, but a sudden convulsive urge made her twist her body to the side and open her mouth. Her stomach heaved, and she coughed violently, emptying her insides of the food she had last eaten onto the grey cement flooring. She gasped, lips quivering, and a horrible metallic taste filled her mouth. She looked down to the red-tinged pool of liquid and digested food. _Blood_. The ninja must have kicked her hard enough to make her vomit blood.

She coughed again, her stomach crumpling and forcing her body to curl in on itself. She tried to move her arms, grunting, but they were too tired to move.

"Do you understand, _Daughter?_" Storm Shadow was at her back now, standing just behind her.

"You call this lenience?" She croaked, spitting at the ground again to empty her mouth of the bile aftertaste. "I call this—"

"I told you Storm Shadow was like Hell on Earth." Baroness's soft snidely voice called from far away, probably at the door. Sage grimaced.

"Ah shit. The Bitch is back." She muttered weakly, just loud enough for the woman to hear, not bothering to look over.

"At least I'm not grovelling on the floor like an amateur pup."

"Why, thank you for the compliment! Pups are quiet cute, aren't they?" Sage grinned to herself, her lips went and acidic-tasting, making her face contort. "Well, more so than you and your sorry ass, anyway..."

Why was it that she found the best things to say around her female rival?

Oh, because her dislike came from the heart. She actually meant it...

Mostly...

"I hope Storm Shadow beats you to oblivion!" Baroness seethed quietly, her voice slightly chilling to Sage's ears.

"Why? Is that what happened to you when you failed to hit him hard enough? Oooh!" Sage squealed girlishly. "Ah!" she giggled breathlessly, her stomach twinging on its emptiness. "That's what your high-pitched irritating voice sounds like. _All. The. Time_. I doubt you're flexible enough to kick him in the head. Too bad, I'll just have to do it for you!"

A booted heel came down hard and knocked against Sage's hip, rolling her onto her back. Then it pressed hard on her stomach. She coughed again, feverishly twisting and yanking her arms. She pressed her hands against the heel, trying to push it off. It only dug deeper.

"Jesus!" She gasped as it pressed. A bottomless pain swelled in her core.

"Enough." Storm Shadow muttered. Then he spoke to Baroness. "Baroness, leave."

"Oh, but I was rather enjoying watching her getting beaten—"

"Go." He snapped. "Now!"

The quiet slam of the door quickly followed his words. Words Sage understood. '_Obey me or face the consequences_.' And she was pretty sure that with Storm Shadow the 'consequences' were pain. And lots of it.

The boot disappeared, and she sensed him step back.

"Stand up."

"Ha!" She scorned. "Yeah _right!_ And how the hell do you suppose I do that? I _was_ winded pretty badly back there, you know, you stupid black-haired—"

"_Now_."

For once, Sage heard his anger, if only a little bit of it, and it was enough to shoot terror through her bones.

Awkwardly, she pushed herself to her feet, swaying slightly in disorientation because she was still weak. Storm Shadow's warm smooth hands gripped her by the shoulders. They were so strong and gentle a hold at the same time, so sure and powerful. It was amazing.

"You will _not_ fail me, Sage. You are a Daughter—"

"Well _nah!_" She spat rudely. "How the hell else was I created? Another one of God's miracles? A baby female Jesus? Come on. I thought you had more sense than _that_."

"You are my Daughter to train," he ground out, his hands tightening over her shoulders.

"Well, such a manwhore _you_ are! What, you created me when you were only a child? Sheesh! You must have, you're still pretty young."

"Listen!" But he sounded slightly amused. "You are not _my_ daughter—"

"Thank God..."

"But you are _a_ _Daughter_. It means you are a _Ninja Student_. Or have you already forgotten that with your memory the size of a goldfish?"

"Well, I do seem to forget things that mean nothing to me. You know, the stuff I don't really agree on, don't really like, kinda hate..." She shrugged, but Storm Shadow said nothing. "It's all bullshit really, you know. There's not much worth remembering, except the necessaries in my occupation—although, I never seemed to learn how to defend myself against a ninja. Maybe no one thought I would run into one. Hmm..." She cocked her head to the side, grinning slyly.

"Finished?" He asked, his voice once again calm, steady and unreadable.

"Never. But hey," she shrugged again. "Go ahead, _Master Storm Shadow!_" She deliberately prolonged the 'w' to make him—or herself—sound like a dork.

"I do not know why Cobra wanted you. You are nothing but trouble."

"And gorgeousness!" She grinned her bright white teeth and batted her lashes sweetly. He didn't seem put off.

One of his hands came to rest against her cheek, though. "And stupidity." His voice was surprisingly soft and playful. She frowned slightly.

He pulled away into the shadows and sighed. "I see you are going to be a hard student." She felt his gaze—focussed and observant—and it sent coldness through her nerves. "But, alas! I have trained ones like you before."

There was just something odd about a ninja saying 'alas!' that it made Sage snort. "But none as experienced in my occupation."

He laughed, and then he was behind her. It mildly startled Sage, how he could sneak around so quietly. "My Daughter, I can overpower you in a second if I wished to."

Sage curled her lip in the ninja's direction and she spat on the floor. "_Bullshit!_" She hissed, the pain in her empty stomach aggravating her that tiny but more.

"It is true." and he stepped forth once again, prowling smoothly like a cat toward her. It was a soft advance, not at all alarming, and his eyes, when she looked at them, were quite warm and welcoming.

_Dammit_. She thought when her heart fluttered at his kind gaze.

And then his hands were in her hair, playing with her curls, and she caught her breath, sensitive to the heat radiating from his body, his gentle touch, his tender gaze, his masculine face...

Storm Shadow chuckled. "I already am overpowering you."

That made her blood boil. She set her jaw and bared her teeth. "Like _hell_ you are!"

"Then Hell must be very likable." She fell silent, her mouth dropping open slightly.

She had nothing to say to that.

No, wait—

"Only to _you_. I mean, you _are_ an asshole. I wouldn't be surprised if you _were_ Lucifer's best man, you evil, conceited, thick, bastardly conniving son of a _bitch!_"

Well, that was fun...and completely out of whack. But hey, rants could be unintelligent. Couldn't they?

"You are treading a thin line here, Sage. You do _not_ want it to break."

"Stormy," she sighed in sardonic forlorn. "My life _is_ a thin line. I've been waiting every day for it to break."

"Then today must be it." And he stepped back, opening his arms wide, like he had done in the cabin only days before. It was oddly like déjà vu.

"You wanted to fight against me." He said, lifting his chin, his smile taunting. "If you can get me on the ground, I will allow you to fight against the other viper soldiers, instead of the punching bag."

Sage deliberated, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "And if I don't?"

"Then everything about you is _mine_. I will not just train you, I will _control_ you. I will order Cobra to set you _solely_ under my command. He will no longer manage you—he will still give you orders, but you will obey me _first_. I will be Alpha, and you will be my Daughter."

Slowly and steadily, Sage exhaled a heavy breath. That was a pretty hefty bargain. "...Do I have a choice about fighting you?"

The ninja's white teeth flashed nastily in the dimness as he sneered at her, "Did you ever have a choice in the first place?"

_That bastard_...

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thanks for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated! xx


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and so therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, script, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person, and his associates.

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><p><strong>Chapter Ten<strong>

Fighting a ninja had never really been on Sage's mind the day she was forced into the life of an assassin. She'd never even thought they existed, hadn't wasted a dream on them, a thought, or even a fear. And then Storm Shadow had walked into her life, and her world had been turned upside-down...

So standing there, facing down the white ninja with more freedom and liability than she'd had in the past few days, she couldn't help but think, _What is a ninja's weakness?_

They were fast beings, as Sage had observed. They were deadly and skilled and triumphant—

So how the hell was she supposed to get him on the floor? She wasn't a wrestler, she liked her guns, and yeah, she could kick hard, maybe land a few punches, do a few flips, snap a few necks...

She might even been better than Baroness in hand-to-hand. But she wasn't as good as Storm Shadow.

_So what the hell have I gotten myself into?_

Maybe this was a punishment. Maybe he expected her to lose, and just to put an everlasting regret on her shoulders, she'd 'belong'—in other words—to him.

He was a sly snake, this ninja. And he just stood there, watching her watch him. His gaze was unreadable, his body still and relaxed, but she knew he was ready. He was always ready.

"Good, Daughter," he murmured, turning his head to watch her as she prowled around him, taking in everything about him. "Observe your opponent; look for weaknesses. Your face is a mask, too."

"It seems that I have an automatic disguise for my actions when I fight seriously." She sighed, meeting his gaze steadily. A small smile tilted his mouth.

"So you take this battle seriously, but not my training?"

"Well," she paused, gazing him over. "I don't really want to be your slave. You're a horrible Boss. But still, I'm not so sure I believe you when you say you're going to take over Cobra's power on me. After all, you're under _his_ power, aren't you?"

"And he worships almost every word that leaves my mouth." Storm Shadow smiled darkly. "I am a good persuader, Sage. He may not know it, but he is under _my_ control. And soon, you will be, too."

"Well, I suppose he wouldn't like that much if you told him you controlled him. He might just sack you."

"I am too valuable to 'sack.' He knows I could take down every one of his men if I so much as wished to. And so he fears that if he aggravates me to do so, where will that leave him?" He cocked his head to the side as Sage came back around to face him head-on, ignoring his unguarded back. He hadn't bothered to spin around and watch her fully. "You are not a coward, I see. You do not attack from behind. You charge so they can see you."

"You have no idea what I do." She said quietly, her footsteps soft—almost silent.

"I know you are skilled, Sage. But you cannot possibly wish to defeat me."

"Cockiness always brings the best down." She gave a fake smile.

"Well I am honoured you think of me as the best."

"And the soon-to-be worst."

He didn't say anything to that, just cocked a brow and watched her again.

She wasn't sure where to strike: the chest, the legs, the groin? It was all so helpless.

_No!_ She chastised herself mentally. _I will _not_ be feeble before him. _I_ am in control. I know what I'm doing_.

So, she straightened her stance and stopped her prowling. Storm Shadow looked up from inspecting his nails, it was a rather feminine act. "Are you going to attack me any day soon, or...?" She swallowed.

"No. You will have to come to me."

"Women are always so scared to make the first move."

"Because they have more sense than men." she smiled, but it was quickly wiped from her face when he charged.

She hoped he was trying his hardest, because she found it tough to follow him—although she could. But if he sped up even more, she _wouldn't_ follow him.

And with a grim-feeling gut instinct, she _knew_ he was being easy on her: he could be so much faster.

She sensed more than saw the boot flying toward her face and lifted up her arm to deflect the blow, stepping to the side to lessen the force. His foot struck her guarding limb hard, and she yelped, jumping back. He swiped out a leg and she jumped up, curling into a ball so his fist hit her shins rather than her stomach.

She uncurled herself and landed successfully back on the ground, repelling another blow and stumbling back.

As Storm Shadow made for a swift kick to the head, she ducked, but was too slow for the boot that slammed into her legs and knocked her off balance. She twisted quickly across the floor, rolling multiple times before fetching up on her hands and knees. She stumbled to her feet when Storm Shadow progressed rapidly. His face was hard and cold, his strides long and determined, his fists loose and prepared.

Sage scuttled back, cursing when she fetched up against one of the four meeting corners of the small stage that ran the perimeter of the room. Storm Shadow was walking too fast to give her enough time to crawl up onto it, even if she tried her quickest, and he was too close for her to escape to the side and run back to the centre to the room, putting space between them.

The shadows danced across his face, making it darker, more sinister.

More severe...

This new Storm Shadow was disturbing.

Feeling claustrophobic as he was almost in reaching distance, Sage charged forward to meet him halfway, throwing out a leg. He deflected it, and she ducked his punch before ramming her shoulder into his stomach.

She danced back out of his reach as he grabbed for her, and he swiped out a knee. She caught his foot, and he tripped faintly, but lurched forward to grip her arms. She struggled as he drew her close, kneeing him hard in the side and writhing around in his hold. He turned her around and pressed her back tight to his chest. Panting, she stomped down her bare foot on his shoe, biting back the cry that threatened to voice itself when the hardness of his boot shocked a sharp pain up her leg. She grunted, throwing her head back and hitting nothing, then somewhat freeing her arm and ramming it into his side.

He released her, for motives she didn't understand, and she sprang away to face him again. He was watching her; thinking silently to himself. He feinted to the side, and she opposed his move. He looked down at her toes, ready and soft against the floor.

"You are light on your feet, Daughter."

She said nothing in return, just sent him a callous glare and stretched her fingers. Grateful for the time apart, she regained her breath and wiped at her sweaty brow.

"But you still have much to learn."

"I don't want to be a ninja." She hissed. He stepped forward. "I don't want to be _anything_ like you."

And then he was so close their faces were mere inches apart—hers tilted upwards to look into his eyes. "But you are." He gripped her waist. "You are a killer."

Offended more by his actions than his words, she lashed out viciously and jabbed her fingers into his throat—right into his Adam's apple. He coughed, gripping and rubbing his neck, before throwing a punch at her ribs.

She tried to dodge him, but he clipped her, and the hit was powerful. She hunched over, gasping, and he seized her chin, pulling her face up.

"When I have finished with your training, you _will_ be like me."

"No," she said breathlessly, smiling. "I will be better than you." And she stepped close, looped her foot around the back of his heel, rammed her other knee upwards between his legs, and shoved her hands against his chest. It was all manoeuvred in a matter of milliseconds. But he didn't trip, or stumble, or even _move_.

Instead, he drew back the foot she'd trapped almost supernaturally fast and deflected her leg aimed at his groin, seizing her arms. She yanked against him, breaking free, and tripped to the floor.

He ran at her and she lifted her feet up to kick him hard in the chest. Her heels pressed into his ribs and his weight bent her knees into her torso. Grunting, she forced out her legs with a strained cry and flipped back over her shoulders to follow-through with the action. The ninja soared over her head and landed in a crouch behind. She scrambled to her feet before swiftly launching herself at him. They both hit the ground in a bedlam of flying limbs and writhing bodies, Storm Shadow braking the hard fall for Sage, who landed atop his chest heavily and rolled off quickly. The ninja followed her and seized an arm. She swung about on her back and kicked both feet at his chest, but he shielded himself with his free arm and gripped her throat, dragging her up.

Gagging and choking, Sage clutched the hand around her neck and dug her longish nails into his skin. The ninja didn't seem to mind. He just stood there, gazing at her with a shady, pitying stare. She bared her teeth and wrapped her legs around his waist. He released her throat and looked down.

During that impulsive mistake, Sage dropped backwards—arching her stomach up at the roof—and planted her hands upside-down firmly on the ground.

With all the power, force and strength she possessed, Sage dragged her legs up and, consequently wrapped around his waist, dragged Storm Shadow with her. She flipped over, releasing the ninja, and twisted around, jumping atop him before he could get up off the ground. She seized his wrists and with all her might forced his arms down either side of his head.

She grinned, panting heavily, and he gazed up at her mysteriously. He wasn't even tired, his chest not even heaving, his breath steady and quiet.

"Gotcha..." She whispered, gulping in breaths. Storm Shadow laughed quietly, and Sage dropped her head in exhaustion, her knees positioned either side of his narrow waist.

"Do you?" She opened her eyes and blinked tiredly at him. Fighting ninjas was hard work.

"Well you're on the ground, aren't you? I won." She grinned triumphantly. "I bet you."

"The cocky ones always fall, did not you say?"

Her smile faded slightly. "You tweaked the words, but yes, I suppose they do."

"Well then..." And his left arm shifted. Sage glanced at it quickly, her smile vanishing. How the _hell_ was he moving? She had almost all her weight on those arms!

Slowly, his arms began to lift, and she narrowed her eyes. "Don't you _dare_." She hissed, leaning forward to press all the mass she could on them.

But they still began to rise.

"Holy f—"and then they collapsed back, and she collapsed with them. Her elbows crumpled, and she fell forward, tensing just in time to stop her face smacking into Storm Shadow's. Wide-eyed, she stared down at him, and the distance between them.

Her whole body was pretty much lying atop his, only her face, neck and arms straining away from him.

But their faces...

"Uh..." Their noses were touching, and Sage was sure she felt the faintest ghost of contact between their lips. She solidified to ice, unable to move out of shock and rage.

Rage for almost kissing him. Shock for him smiling.

And his smile was beautiful, no matter how dark and cunning and sly it looked.

Her eyes darted back and forth, searching his gaze. But it was as closed as an iron door.

"Well, Sage, if you had really wanted to _seduce_ me, I would have expected a little better than this."

"_Seduce you?_" She asked, aghast.

His teeth bared themselves softly. "Yes. But, I would have expected something a little more like..." And he shifted his head forward, pressing his mouth hard against hers.

Sage froze, eyes growing wide. His own eyes stared back at her, grinning wickedly, not missing a thing.

His lips were so soft and warm and oddly tasted like honey. Sage's arms grew weak, and Storm Shadow brought up a hand to fist in her hair. Her eyelids drooped in contentment—

And his mouth parted and his teeth bit down playfully on her bottom lip.

Shrieking in horror and surprise and dismay, Sage flew back, spluttering, and lashed out at his face.

His free hands darted forward and caught her arm before he slowly sat up. She rocked back, overbalancing and falling onto his legs, trying to pull her arm away.

"And you should never get distracted, Daughter." She narrowed her gaze, but before she could do anything, he lurched forward and slammed her into the ground. Like swift magic, he had her arms pinned either side of her head, and his heavy legs weighing hers down. Gradually, he leaned forward, and she curled her lip at him. "_This_ is how you get someone on the floor."

She snarled and tried to move, cursing when basically even inch of her body was leaden under his weight. He laughed quietly. "I _am_ a Ninja after all, Sage, and it would be best if you listened to me."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I don't _want_ to be a ninja!"

"But the Ninjas will want you." Her brows furrowed, and he continued arrogantly, "Our main enemy, the Joes, have a Ninja. A Sword Brother of mine—we trained together in the temple. Once the Joes find out that we have you, they will send him. And he will be given orders to either kill or capture you. They know how lethal you will become under my training."

"I'm already lethal." She muttered.

"Yes, but not to the Ninjas. One day you will run into them when there is nobody else around to help you, and my training will show you how to survive. You are quite well-known to the Underworld, Ariel Gallow. Cobra is not the only one who wants your skills, and the Joes are not the only ones out for your blood."

Sage's face hardened, and she ground her teeth together. "I don't trust you."

Storm Shadow scoffed. "You do not have to _trust_ me. But believe my words—or are you so naive as to think that _nobody_ will come after you?"

She smiled superiorly. "People have been coming after me ever since the day I brought down my first man at the age of nineteen. I've killed them all."

"And now you have awakened the interests of the Ninjas. You cannot hope to stand against them, Sage. Yes, there is only one other Ninja who can challenge _me_, and yes, I could kill all the others easily, but you...You wouldn't stand a chance."

"Bosh!" She spat, before calming herself forcibly. "...Well, I'll just avoid this archenemy of yours, and there'll be no problems!"

"Impossible." Storm Shadow muttered austerely. "He is part of the Joes. You will run into him sometime, and you will not see it coming."

Growing impatient, Sage tossed her head. "And who the _hell_ are the Joes?"

"Cobra's enemy. You will learn about them soon enough. But until then..." He drew back and stood up, striding away toward the door. Sage flew to her feet.

"Where are you going?"

"You belong to me now."

Her mouth dropped open. "W-_what?_ You can't do that! You said that if I bet you, you'd let me fight the vipers, not _belong_ to you! And I did beat you!"

"You can still fight them, but you will also belong to me. It is the only effective way to train you properly so you can fend off the Ninjas. Trust me; they are after you like you would never believe."

"What? No! You liar!"

He turned at the door, grinning surreptitiously, his hand resting on the knob. "We never shook hands, Sage. We never made a deal about this." He sighed and gazed at her ashamedly, eyes softening. "You were so clueless..."

"That's _bull_shit! You scheming son of a bitch!"

"We Ninjas are all sly, Daughter. You should have known better."

"And you should have been more of a _man!_"

Storm Shadow threw the door open and stepped over the threshold. Without turning around, he spoke: "I said I never break promises, Daughter, and it is true; I do not." Sage sniffed conceitedly, glaring at him, and he turned to her, eyes brilliant. "But I never promised anything here with you, anyway."

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thanks for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated! xx


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: the rise of Cobra) and therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person and his associates.

**Author's Note:** I'd just like to say THANK YOU to everybody who has reviewed, to those who will review, and to those who just read the story.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven<strong>

So maybe Sage hadn't read thinly between the lines when Storm Shadow had offered her a deal, but hell, she also hadn't expected him to be so clever...

"God_dammit!_" she screamed as the door closed—efficiently blocking the ninja from her view—and whirled on the punching bag behind her. Her bare fist, clenched tight and taunt, thumped powerfully against the red sack, and it bent in the middle from her force. Slight pain stung her knuckles, and hot rage spiked her nerves. She brought up a knee and thrust it hard before dancing back and twisting out a firm kick. The bag swayed violently, and hurt every time she hit it.

Flipping lithely, Sage speared her shoulder into the target's side and dropped to the ground as it swished loudly overheard. Rolling out and springing to her feet, she threw a punch.

Her heart was already thumping, her chest was already heaving, and with every punch and every kick and every action, she inhaled and exhaled and quickly fell into the rhythm of endless drills.

_Right knee._

_Shift._

_Left knee._

_Right punch, left elbow._

_Head butt_.

Her skin was bare, her elbows were bare, her feet were bare, her knuckles were bare. She wore no protection, no padding, nothing to stop the tissue tearing from her bones and the blood from staining her flesh. She drove long and hard into the bag.

It'd been so long since she'd used one—a punching bag—and it felt so _good!_

Her mind knocked off endless moves, and she released them all—her vigour hitting the target every time—surprised by her limitless supply.

She'd never been taught _this_ much, had she?

Sage skipped back as the bag swayed, and brought up her loose fists into the readied pose of a boxer. She jumped around, shoulders hunched, and exhaled heavily with every move, feeling the power she exerted.

_Kick. Jab. Punch. Hit_. She darted away and tensed her legs. Breathing deeply and loosening her muscles, she kicked up her right leg and swung her body around, slamming the top of her foot hard into the sack. She quickly brought her leg back as her objective was shoved away forcefully, and then plummeted heavily back toward her. She dived to the ground, rolled, and sprang up, opening her arms.

As the bag thumped against her torso, she wrapped her elbows around and hugged it tight like a wrestler to their enemy; regaining breath and strength. She leaned against its solid face, trembling and dizzy and exhausted.

It felt like she'd been drilling herself for hours, but she was sure it had only been one hour—

At high intensity. The whole time...

Sage closed her eyes, relishing in the fatigue she felt and the peace and calmed rage that Storm Shadow had upset. Her lips parted lazily and she rested her cheek, sighing.

Something began to pulsate strangely in her knuckles, swelling and exploding; bulging again and discharging again. As Sage woke to it, she realised it was pain: pain in synchronisation with her heartbeat.

And then it began to sting, all over.

Sage gasped and stumbled back. Looking down, she stared at the trickles of blood seeping from her knuckles and the scraped and scabby bits of damaged flesh. She couldn't see the bone, but the skin was tender and red and inflamed.

She shook her hands, and thin droplets of blood splattered against the floor.

"_Shit_..." She breathed, wiping her hands on her uniform. Gore smudged across her stomach. She reached down to pull up her pant legs and look at her shins. They were tender and red-splotched, scraped and bruised, but not bleeding. Her toes were slightly purplish.

Something warm seeped through her shirt, and she looked: her bloody hands were soaking her clothes. Her breathing became ragged—more alarmed than pained—and she wobbled her hands furiously.

More blood spread.

"Dammit..."

"I see you have added your own cold touch to the training room floor." The voice was so familiar and sly and snidely, and Sage was _not_ ready to hear it.

Her head flew up and she looked around, freezing when she saw Storm Shadow lounging rather comfortably against the door.

The only entrance in and the only exit out—

As far as she knew.

Sage spat on the ground and curled her top lip at him before turning her back and pacing the room promptly, trying to focus on something—_anything_—but the re-rising pain and fear and anger inside her.

"Come here, Daughter." With a swift glance out of her peripherals, Sage saw the white-clad ninja move to be at the punching bag. She spun on her heels in the process of stalking back—consequently, to him—and strode away, shaking her head. "Daughter—"

"No." She muttered, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"Sage," he stepped away from the bag, and she retreated quickly. "Do not disobey me!"

"Why?" She snapped defiantly, and as she turned, he was before her. She made to turn again, but he gripped her arm. She tried to pull away, even though it was useless.

Storm Shadow fixed her with an icy hard stare that said it all: '_don't even try_.' Then he stepped around her—still gripping her arm tight—and dragged her toward the door. Sage gave a single last pull, and then gave in when he was too strong for her tired body.

Dropping her head, she let Storm Shadow drag her out of the training room and down the hall. She didn't bother trying to take in any details of their whereabouts; she just tried her best to keep up with his swift walk—that was almost a jog—and stare at her hands that continued to seep blood.

It was rather irritating. And how the hell had she made herself so bruised and battered? She'd never made her hands _bleed_ so much.

Of course, they'd been bloodier than this. They'd been soaked in blood, from wrist to fingertip, maybe even up to the elbows.

But it had never been _her_ blood. This was the most blood she—or anybody she'd ever come into contact with—had drawn from her.

Well, as far as she could remember, and that was about six years into the past. Anything older than that was completely wiped from her memory. It was eerie and strange and frustrating. And she felt the anger boil now; now, when she thought of Michael.

If he'd just told her everything...Just sat her down and talked...

He knew more about herself than she did. And now the only window to her past was dead. By the very same organisation she now worked for.

Her Boss had destroyed any possibility of her ever getting her identity back.

God, that was brutal.

But maybe that was what every assassin was like. No identity. No traceable person. They were invisible, able to camouflage, _unknown_.

She was a nobody. It was both a gift, and a curse.

Storm Shadow jerked her down a hall and she stumbled, slamming into his back and then shying away just as quickly. Her ignored her, and banged his broad palm against a white door, which flew open and thumped against the wall on the inside. Women dressed in white cloaks, fully-enclosed black shoes, clinical mouth-masks and disposable gloves started and looked up, but quickly glanced away when they saw the hard-set jaw of their only resident ninja.

Storm Shadow dragged Sage over toward a fresh linen white-sheeted bed and spun her around, shoving her hard on the shoulders. She stumbled back and fell onto the bunk.

"And stay there." He snarled angrily, making Sage stiffen slightly. His eyes flashed distaste, and then he slunk away.

Sage watched him go with neutral eyes, and then looked down to her throbbing hands. She quickly drew them up to rest in her lap when they began to soak the sheets.

"Oops..."

"Don't worry Sage." She looked up hastily when a masculine voice tried to soothe her frantics, and watched like a hawk as a man dressed in the similar wear—practical black shoes, long white medical coat, gloves and a face-cover—of the nurses strode briskly toward her. He had a gentle smile, Sage could see that because the top of his mouth-mask that tied above his ears was loose, so only the ties at the back of his neck were still knotted. His eyes were a gentle grey, his hair a soft pale blonde. He was lanky and tall; not too skinny, but still fairly built—enough to hold down reasonably-sized men.

Although he was nowhere near as daunting as Storm Shadow.

Speaking of the white ninja: he slunk silently behind the doctor, just as white-clothed. He would have fitted right in, if he didn't have such a presence with his armaments of swords, daggers and throwing stars. Not to mention that his tall, solid build and dark demeanour was slightly out of place.

He wasn't the most calming and considerate of people. Far from it, actually.

Sage edged carefully back from the men, glancing over the doctor in frigid aversion. The man slowed in his walk and spread his arms wide.

"I'm unarmed, Sage. Take it easy. I just need to check your wounds."

She never relaxed her stiff posture, but she gazed deep into the man's eyes and found something like compassion and truth within his gaze. His voice, too, was tender and soothing.

She believed she could trust him...somewhat.

She shifted her shoulders and nodded. "Alright." but then she went to glaring coldly at Storm Shadow, who arched a brow.

The doctor's calm hands gripped Sage's rather intrudingly while she was distracted and she pulled away, startled, and kicked out instinctively. Her bare feet connected with the man's chest and he stumbled back, wheezing. The nurses in the room spun around quickly to sight the scene and Storm Shadow flew forward to grip her arms.

Still highly-strung and rich on adrenalin, Sage tried to boot him in the ribs and ended up, somehow, being pressed heavily against the bed while Storm Shadow towered over her.

Not at all enjoying her position, Sage writhed and twisted and kicked out. He didn't move.

On impulse she lurched forward and slammed her steely forehead into his nose, freeing herself from under his weight when he reared back and released her. She slithered and scuttled away, her shoulders ramming into a silver instrument tray and sending the tools flying to the ground. She whirled and gripped a scalpel, making to launch herself at Storm Shadow as the nurses in the room began screaming—

Strong arms—too strong to be feminine—gripped her around the throat and sunk a sharp stinging bite into her arm. Sage's breath hitched and she looked down as the doctor drew a long needle out from her skin. She retaliated and elbowed him in the waist. He buckled slightly, but didn't release her.

As she struggled against him her muscles grew weak, and she knew he was finding it easier to keep a hold.

"W-what..." She breathed, slumping against him tiredly. A soft voice eased several distressed voices throughout the room, and then the doctor spoke.

"It's just a sedative, Sage. You need to relax. You're stressed and overwhelmed and frightened, as you have every right to be, working with a ninja." The doctor chuckled at his own joke, but Sage only narrowed her eyes, and then felt she couldn't open them back up.

She was just so damn tired.

"Let go of the scalpel, Sage." She ignored him, glancing around through her limited vision. She saw a flash of white and whimpered; unsure if it was because she couldn't move and defend herself while Storm Shadow was so close, or because the scalpel was reefed forcefully from her grasp.

Hands laced under the backs of her knees and shoulders and picked her up. She moved weakly, shoving against the doctor's chest.

"Sage, it's _ok_," he soothed, positioning her back on the bed so her head was on the pillow. "I'm going to help you."

Sage froze her gaze on her hands that were pressed against his chest. "Good_ God_..." she breathed. They were so bloody. The doctor looked down, then back up, and stroked her cheek. She was too weary and pathetic to do anything.

"You're going to be fine, Sage."

"No." Sage inhaled feverishly and tried to sit herself up. Her eyes became unfocused and shuddery. "—ah." she shivered, and her lids forced themselves shut. Her breathing hitched—

And then she was out to the world.

* * *

><p>When Sage came to, she could sense more than one presence in the room, and more than one pair of eyes focussed on her. As she became aware of her deep, quiet, relaxed breathing, her brows furrowed, and she frowned.<p>

"Why are assassins the most troubled of us all?"

_Cobra_. Sage's eyes flew open and she glared at the contorted half-mask, burnt-red face staring down at her.

"Because your face is not the best image to wake up with." she muttered in disgust, closing her eyes again and grimacing.

"Then try again, and look at me." Storm Shadow's cool voice muttered in her ear. Sage flinched, and then snorted.

"You're even worse."

"You didn't think that when you were kissing me."

Sage's eyelids parted, and then she narrowed them at him. "If I recall, Storm Shadow, it was _you_ who kissed _me_."

Cobra glanced between the squabbling pair with an amused expression. "High school sweethearts, I see."

Sage whirled on him. "There is _nothing_ sweet between us." She shot Storm Shadow a scathing look and positioned herself on the bed so she was sitting upright. "And there _never_ will be!"

The ninja's face darkened slightly, and a slow, teasing smile parted his lips to reveal his teeth.

"Are you sure about that, Miss Gallow?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Oh don't you just _love_ Sage's little freak-out sessions? :D I do!

Also, I'm sorry if the chapters have been short, I do try! But its hard...Anyway, at least they're not _too_ short. :)

Please read and review! Lots of love to those who do! Xx

~Shakaka


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: the rise of Cobra) and therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person and his associates.

**Author's Note:** I'd just like to say THANK YOU to everybody who has reviewed, to those who will review, to those who just read the story, and to those who add me as one of their favourite authors or this as one of their favourite stories! Xx

**Important!** Hi everyone! I'm _so_ sorry for how long it took me to update! But, it's a new year, and I am crazily busy at the moment. Thank you to all those who have stuck with me and this story. I do try to get the chapters up as quickly and to the best quality as I can. Please understand this, I greatly appreciate it. And, I will never forget about you, or my stories, so hang in there!

You've all earned this. Go on. Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<strong>

Sage's blood turned cold as Cobra glanced at her with a cocked brow. She looked down to her bandaged hands in her lap and set her jaw, inhaling quietly. Her knuckles were bound tightly in a bright white cloth that almost blinded her. She blinked.

"What are you trying to imply, Storm Shadow?" Her voice was muted and cold; she could sense the nurses hurry away. Her hushed tone was lethal.

Something cool touched the underside of her chin, and she glanced down.

It was like a thick 2-Dimensional line from her view. It winked softly, reflecting her cool blue eyes, and moved slightly. The sharp point dug under her chin and into soft flesh, and when she swallowed quietly, she could feel the sharp prick against her bobbing throat.

"I imply nothing but the fact that you react hastily to anything that attaches you to Cobra. You also seem shy to approach the topic of your fondness for me." Sage's eyes shot up and she opened her mouth, but then shut it again when Storm Shadow's eyes grinned knowingly at her.

"I have no fondness for you, Storm Shadow, nor do I have respect or responsibility. I love no one, and I like nothing. I trust myself and only myself, and the ways of my occupation will never be changed by you."

"Hmm..." He cocked his head to the side and drew the katana from her throat. "You cannot lie to me, Sage."

Sage threw her hands up into the air desperately, all patience worn thin. "Why do _you_ care?" She spat nastily. "Nothing will ever happen! It was _a_ _kiss_, _one kiss_! If I had enough brains, I would think that _you_ are the one fond of _me!_"

He smiled again. "What if I am?"

Sage's jaw grew slack and she stared at Storm Shadow in disbelief. "...No!"

And he laughed—a mocking laugh—one that aggravated her deeply. "I feel nothing toward you, Sage, that is true. I am a Ninja: we 'adore' nothing, but my care for you is simply because you are under my training. If it were another soldier and not _me_ training you, you would never see me, never even hold a chance of conversation with me."

"Such a mystery man..." She said softly, and smiled just as delicately, before snapping back into bitterness. "Such a lucky woman _I_ am." She crossed her arms and glowered at the floor by Cobra's feet.

"Hmm," Sage looked up at Cobra's purring voice and caught his clever gaze. "You seem to have won the heart of our resident ninja, Sage."

"Oh, I wouldn't say heart," she began to retort, and caught Storm Shadow's scalding stare, making her stiffen. But she turned and held his gaze, smiling fearlessly as she spoke, "Storm Shadow doesn't have a heart."

"Not for you, anyway," the ninja mutter brusquely. She cringed slightly.

He could be such a menacing bastard with those eyes when he wanted to.

And this was one of those times.

Sage adverted her gaze and focussed on her breathing, trying not to show how intimidated she felt.

"I came to tell you that you will have training with a soldier tomorrow." Cobra stated firmly. She looked up.

"What do you mean?"

"You will practice your skills in computer hacking, door pick-locking, and the overall background of Cobra and our archenemy: the Joes. You will also research Nanomite technology, and have sniper-rifle training..."

Sage cocked a brow, she couldn't help it. "Honestly?" Storm Shadow snorted. "Cobra, I know _all_ that shit."

The man challenged her by crossing his arms over his muscular chest and gazing down at her unwaveringly.

"If I am rightly informed, you absolutely had _no idea_ about Cobra, the Joes or Nanomite technology before Storm Shadow came along with my orders—you still don't know anything about Nanomites." Sage glanced to Storm Shadow, who lifted his chin defiantly, his dark eyes sparkling joy.

He'd love to see her stumble for words. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Oh, I've gathered enough 'know' about you." She waved a hand delicately, and Cobra waited imperiously. She could also feel the ninja's incredulous gaze. "First of all, the Joes are your archenemies." Cobra rolled his eyes, knowing as much as Sage that she'd gained that answer from him only moments ago. "Second, Nanomite technology is some freaky-ass technology that reflects your crazy-ass demeanour. And thirdly, 'Cobra' is a weak, flawed and unsuccessful organization plummeting toward destruction and currently being ruled by a neophyte consisting of the most idiotic snake in the world." She saw that familiar muscle begin to work in his jaw.

She'd angered him. Far beyond simple irritation.

_Perfect_...

"Although..." She continued smoothly, not at all noting his rage. "I'm pretty sure the deadliest thing in this _pavilion_ is that snake. Too bad she's locked up. What was her name? Kiro...Kino...something Japanese for _killer_. I must say, it's not very original. If it was up to me, I'd call her Enseday, pig-Latin for _dense_." She grinned. "After all, it took her a while to understand that she couldn't escape through that glass and attack me. She's not the brightest animal here, but she's brighter than you, at least."

Sage was very surprised, actually, that Cobra had let her boast for so long. And she could see it had taken effort. His face was flushed a rich crimson red, the veins at his temples pulsating strongly as he strained to keep his composure.

Glimpsing fleetingly at Storm Shadow, Sage could take nothing in of his emotions. He was just like the cool grey wall in the training room.

Cobra glanced stiffly across to him, too, and he tilted his head slightly.

The man in the half-mask slowly stretched out his fingers, closing his eyes briefly and inhaling raggedly. The air rasped in and out of his lungs, and when his eyes opened, they were the dark rampant brown of fury.

"See to it, Storm Shadow, that she is not fed, not rested, and not healed to any wounds until she is _fully _obedient." And with that, he vanished from the room. Sage gazed after him in shock, and then looked over to Storm Shadow.

"So what, he's going to starve me now? Kill me in your training room because I fall asleep when you throw a punch at me?" She raised a brow in disbelief and amazement. "He really is a madman...What use am I if I'm too weak to do anything?"

"What use are you if you don't obey orders?" She frowned slightly.

"What use are _you_ if you don't have a spark of rebellion?"

* * *

><p>So maybe Storm Shadow wasn't <em>completely<em> under Cobra's control—like he'd stated. Or maybe he just wanted to torture Sage. Either way, she was conscious that they had taken a different route to the way they had come from his training room.

She mightn't know the difference between one hall and another, but she knew the difference between north and south. And right now, they were heading north...or south...she couldn't tell underground. But at least they were heading away from Storm Shadow's training room.

_Thank god_...She thought with a silent sigh. She was still groggy from the sedative, and slightly woozy from the drug. Her tongue felt furry, her knuckles were stiff, and her head began to form the irritating symptoms of a headache.

But Storm Shadow—either aware and rudely ignoring her state, or completely oblivious to her drowsy condition—whisked down the hallway at the speed of a midget's fast sprint. Sage, tired, irritated and drained, defiantly stopped and leaned against a wall, rubbing her eyes and massaging her temples.

"Maybe you won't last long. I thought you'd be more of a fighter." The ninja's quiet, chastising voice muttered to her right. She grimaced, but kept her lids closed.

"And do you have any idea of the wearing-off effects of a tranquilizer?" He didn't reply, but she could feel his smile. "Exactly, so don't ridicule me. Sedatives are a bitch if you don't have time to adjust."

"Well then, you'll have to adjust quickly."

"Stop being such a righteous ninja's asshole." She snarled, trailing her fingers through her hair where the strands had fallen free of the band and dangled haphazardly around her face. Most people said the messy look suited her though. It gave her elegance, in a way.

Not that she cared what she looked like when it was only Storm Shadow beside her. And somehow, he always looked gorgeous...

_What?_ Her lids flew open and she froze all over. _What the fuck was I just thinking?_ Her muscles seemed to have locked down of their own accord, and her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh hell no..."

But she wouldn't lose it. Not here. Not now. Not while the ninja stood so close he was in reaching distance, and staring at her with such intensity she felt like he could see through her.

_Pull yourself together, for God's sake!_

She gritted her teeth, inhaled deeply, and straightened. Stepping away from the wall, ignoring the headache, and pushing down the nausea, she stared at Storm Shadow in a way that was smooth and emotionless, yet icy and cold at the same time.

His lips quirked and he hopped off the wall to prowl forward, clasping her chin in an iron grip and forcing her to stare into his irises. They were such a dark brown—or maybe they were black. Either way, they were eerie.

Eerie and deep and profound and evil.

She couldn't stare for too long. Her eyes began to flicker, glancing at his lashes, the whites of his eyes, the red flesh holding his eyeballs in; anything but the unsettling power of his soul.

It was a dark soul. Nothing but torture and pain and mercilessness. She couldn't stand it. Not right now. Not after kissing him.

After falling for a monster.

_Shit_.

Sage broke the connection and stared past him desperately. She would not admit she had feelings. She couldn't. It would make her weak, vulnerable, _loving_.

She couldn't love. If she loved, she would never kill the same. If she loved, all it would bring was pain.

After all, hadn't two of the closest people in her life been killed only days ago? Hadn't she slightly cared for them, as much as she told herself not to? Where had that gotten her?

Nowhere. Exactly.

She couldn't love. She wouldn't. It wasn't worth her mentality.

Or her life.

Storm Shadow released her, and she ducked her head quickly.

It would be awkward now, meeting those eyes. Not because she was being meek, or shy, or intimidated.

But because she could feel something...What? Why?

_Stop thinking about it_, her moral mind muttered.

Too true...

"Come," Storm Shadow commanded before turning and striding away. Sage trailed silently after him. There was nothing to say. She was too caught up in what she'd just discovered.

That was until Storm Shadow spoke.

"Here is the lunch room, cafeteria, canteen, whatever you want to call it. This is where you eat." Sage looked up at the tall, thin steel doors. They reflected her body in an awkward, thinner-yet-taller-than-life way that made her faintly alarmed. Her reflection was like a coloured alien shadow.

"Are we going in?" She forced herself to look at Storm Shadow.

It wasn't too hard...

He smiled. It was nasty.

And without saying a word, he turned and walked away.

"Obviously not..." she muttered glumly, following after him. What other choice did she have? She was in no shape to match his skills right now. Not in her seedy form.

Her stomach contracted and drew in on itself as she walked away and, inevitably, caught the scent of rich pork roast. She groaned quietly.

She needed food. It was logical, feeding patients when they were hungry after being sedated. Although, there _was_ care involved.

Some people weren't too good at keeping food down after surgery.

Although Sage was sure she hadn't been in surgery...

It was to stop her fighting and injuring herself more than anything.

And an empty stomach combined with a sleepy body was not a good combination. She could feel the nausea ever-so-slightly at the back of her mind.

How long had it been since she'd eaten, anyway? Over twenty-four hours?

She was fairing pretty well, then. Although she didn't want to think about it.

So that was why Storm Shadow brought her down this way. To torture her. To remind her just how hungry she truly was. To reveal to her her weakness.

What an asshole...

It wasn't really that much of a surprise, though.

Storm Shadow had proven many times before how asshole-ish he could be.

It was just in his blood.

"Smug bastard..." she muttered just loud enough so the ninja could hear her.

He froze, spun around, and smiled predatorily down at her.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you almost die of starvation before you give in." He cocked his head to the side, his eyes running the length of her body.

Sage was insulted.

"_Before_ I give in?" She challenged. His smile grew, her eyes narrowed. "I _won't_ give in, Storm Shadow."

He lifted a brow, "Really?"

"In the end, Cobra will just have to choose if he wants me alive and wild, or dead. I won't give him the satisfaction of winning."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Please read and review! Lots of love to those who do! Xx


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: the rise of Cobra) and therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person and his associates.

**Author's Note:** I'd just like to say THANK YOU to everybody who has reviewed, to those who will review, to those who just read the story, and to those who add me as one of their favourite authors or this as one of their favourite stories! Xx

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen<strong>

Training consisted of a firing range, bullets, and human-shaped targets. But no guns. Sage sighed, turning over one of the copper-sheathed arsenals in her hand, and looking up with a cocked brow at Storm Shadow. "Well _that's_ great," her mouth quirked, "Bullets...but no guns! Where are the _guns_, I hear you ask? I do not know! But do you expect me to _throw_ one of these at the target?" She snorted and shook her head, tossing it high into the air before catching it effortlessly. Her eyes flickered back to the man in white. "How _useful!_"

One moment, the ninja was standing patiently before her, trapping her inside the cell where she would stand to fire the gun for practice. And then the next he'd darted forward, shoved her back, and pinned her against the glass wall that swung open to allow a clean line for shooting down the range. The force he used whipped all the wind out of her lungs and weakened her hands, which dropped the unused bullet. She listened as it clattered loudly against the floor, and swallowed uneasily as she met Storm Shadow's baleful black eyes.

His face was blank, and her anger boiled. Who the hell did he think he was, to handle her like that?

"What the _hell?_" She hissed heatedly, glaring at his face. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

That cool, indifferent, eerie little mask cracked, and Sage saw the hidden dark prince behind it. A smile like that would seduce any woman, but his bright white teeth—so bright against his shady skin—glinted threateningly at her, almost predatorily.

To say Sage was unnerved and disturbed was an understatement. The ninja was freaky when he wanted to be, and it made her shiver.

His notorious grin returned. "I am whoever I want to be, _darlin'_." She narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to spit something back, but a throat clearing started behind them and cut her off. Storm Shadow spun around, his face once again a chilly mask.

"Leo." He said coldly, nodding his head as the man met his gaze quietly. Just like the day Sage had first seen him; Leo was dressed in tight black clothing, and forever armed with that cursed black sniper-rifle.

Slowly, her temper began to rise.

Sage met his eyes, and saw he was judging her appreciatively. She bared her teeth hostilely and spat on the ground in disgust, crossing her arms over her chest before spitting, "Something you like, _asshole?_"

"Actually..." he hummed in a deep, appealing tenor before his eyes flickered back up to her face. "No."

"Good."

"Great."

"Fine."

"Enough!" The pair looked at Storm Shadow, whose brows were creased in impatience, and who was very evidently pinching the bridge of his nose between his brows with long fingers. Slowly, he inhaled, then exhaled, then looked up. He pointed at Sage. "_You_ cannot go picking fights with everyone you meet! And _you_"—he pointed at Leo, who looked surprised, and wary—"why did Cobra choose you to be her tutor?"

"I'm not quite sure myself, Sensei." He answered respectively, but with a little more fire and defiance than Sage had seen in any other troop to come into contact with the fearsome ninja.

"_Bosh_..." she hissed, capturing his attention. "I'm sure he did it just to torture me." There was an uncomprehending silence. "I'm _sure_ you know just how much I _wish_ I could kill you right now."

"No." He said casually, and Sage couldn't help but smile at the nervous bob of his Adam's apple as he swallowed. She jutted out her chin smugly, lifting her head.

"Oh really?"

"_Sage_," Storm Shadow growled. She glanced at him, lip curling. He made to say something else, but at the defiant glare he received, he simply pointed a finger and snarled, rather cruelly, "I'll deal with _you_ later." Then he turned to Leo. "She's all yours...Have fun."

Sage snorted, and the ninja turned ever so slightly to glance at her. "This isn't over," he rumbled, and her laughter faltered . He grinned, shady and seducing, before vanishing from the room.

Sage watched him go.

"Well..." Leo began, turning back to Sage and hoisting his rifle up into both hands. "You're bound to be dead by morning."

"And what does that mean?" She snapped defensively, watching as he advanced. "You don't know me."

"Ah!" He tapped the side of his temple smartly. "I was like you, once. Although, not as stupid and feisty...But still, I was defiant." He grinned at her glower, and it was rather attractive. It made him look quite cute. Sage cocked her head to the side, intrigued, and his smile grew. "He said words similar to me as what he just said before."

Now Sage was interested. She looked back to his eyes after tearing them from his lips. They were sly. "And?"

"Honey, he's the Master. By the end of the day he'd materialized before me, and dragged me down the hall into his dungeon to punish me."

"Dungeon?" she asked stupidly.

"His training room, sweetie." she stood there a moment, thinking and not realising just how close Leo was. When she came back, she jumped, and he chuckled, flicking her under the chin as he turned away. She glared after him. "You may be beautiful, Sage, but you can be dim, too."

"And what would you know?" She hissed at his back, watching as he fiddled with a wall panel connected to the clear glass facing the firing range. "You murdered my friends, and now you think you know me?"

"Honey, it's time to let that go, don't you think?"

_He didn't_...She thought venomously.

The rage inside her had been boiling for far too long.

And it was time to let it go.

She moved silently from her position against the cubicle wall and approached Leo from behind. It was a cowardly ambush of sorts, but she didn't care. She'd do whatever she could just to get her hands around that thick throat of his...

She raised her arm to strike, heart all malice, before the open-ended barrel of the sniper rifle came to rest between her brows. She froze, seething quietly in shock and anger as Leo turned around and smiled widely.

"Caught you off guard did I, honey?" She said nothing, and his smile expanded—impossibly. "Come here." She snorted, cocked a leg, and crossed her arms arrogantly. "Aww, Sage! Don't be like that!"

Slowly, and deliberately, she turned her head and stared at him insolently. "Or what?"

His smile vanished, and his eyes narrowed. "Fine. You want to be like that? Go ahead. I'll make your life hell."

She looked down to her nails imperiously, sighing and ignoring the gun pointed at her face. "You know..." she began, drawling lazily, "You're not the first one to make that promise. And honestly, it's getting old." She looked up pointedly, surprised by the rage in his expression. "What? Did I just hit a nerve, _honey?_"

"You'll soon wish you hadn't." Was all he muttered before the glass safety screen popped open and he stepped out into the firing range. He crossed toward a white door camouflaged extremely well against the far right wall, and opened it quietly. There was something strange about him, Sage only just noticed now. But what was it?

Her eyes flickered down to his empty hand, and her brows knitted together in confusion. She stepped forward toward the entrance, thinking, before a soft glint caught in her eyes. Her head snapped around to the right of her cubicle, and there, right beside her, was Leo's loaded rifle, seated on the small bench in her booth. She crossed to it, deftly picking it up and brushing it over with her hands. It was a beautiful gun, although it had killed her friends...

She let her arm slacken and fall back to her side, disgusted. Her eyes met Leo's across the room, and something close to interest covered his expression. Then he glanced down to her arm holding the rifle, and it clicked.

All she had to do was lift it, position the scope, and fire a bullet. Straight through his skull. A clean shot—an _effortless_ shot, seeing as he was just standing there like a sitting duck, _begging_ to be killed.

Her arm twitched. It'd be satisfying, turning the gun against its wielder. But it also felt wrong. She wasn't given an order to kill, she didn't _have_ to shoot him...It was all up to her. And Sage had never really been one for pointless hunting.

And then again...There was nothing pointless about revenge...

Leo cocked a brow softly with small sparkle in his eyes as he watched her inner turmoils play out across her face. Realising this weakness, she hardened her expression and stared at him emotionlessly.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" He called, making it evident that she wasn't shooting him.

She kept her silence, and waited. For what? She didn't know. It was instinct really. A motive she didn't quite remember the meaning of. But she was sure she had been taught it. Maybe before she became an assassin, before the time gap in her memory when she remembered everything.

But why would she need to unnerve someone in the past when she was innocent? Because that was what she was doing at this moment. The edgy twitching of Leo's hands confirmed that.

Silence really was great...

She cocked her head to the side mutely, and a small, uncanny smile spread across her face. It spelled violence.

Leo vanished inside the room beyond the door and slammed it shut behind him loudly.

Well...that was fun.

Sage was left in silence, and as she waited a few moments, she gazed around the range before her. There were three human-shaped targets, all in line shoulder-to-shoulder in the centre of the floor with the stereotypical red bullseye target at the centre of their chests, and another smaller set of circles on their foreheads. Sage could hit them easily, and she knew it; after all, she'd never missed when she had to kill men on the move. And snipering _them_ down while they were walking—or running—was hard.

Though the circles on the targets were red, the colourful background for each body was quite odd—and bright, compared to the white wall behind them. They were a deep, almost sparkling, blue-black, and if Sage shifted even the slightest bit, their outlines winked as if reflective to some extent. She frowned, stepping closer to the range and the open end of her cubicle, but didn't dare to step out of the box. If one thing she knew, it was dangerous to stride out in a firing range—even if there weren't armed people either side of her trained on the targets. There was sure to be some sort of contraption set up for distraction or disorientation of the shooter, so it was like a minefield of sorts, and being Cobra, Sage was right to have suspicions. So far, everything she'd seen about this organisation was odd...The firing range was sure to have its own twist, too.

The small mysterious black boxes up in the corners of the walls farthest from Sage radiated a loud masculine voice that made her jump. She seized the rifle in her hand—the one Leo had left for her—and realised—just at the moment when the boxes were speakers—how much she had missed holding a weapon. She clutched it tight, afraid it would disappear, and scanned her surroundings warily, alert once again.

If she didn't think about just how hungry she was, maybe she'd cope...

Her stomach grumbled, and she groaned. A bitter voice snarled inside her head, _Well, there went _that_ plan_...

"Sage?" She snapped back to attention, glancing over her shoulder with a frown. Nobody was there, and although the voice was before her, she couldn't see anybody. The voice chuckled, and she looked up to the speakers, glaring.

She knew that voice. Not as much as she knew the charismatic tenor of a certain provocative ninja, but fairly well. She'd burned it to memory, to remind herself just how much she hated him for the things he'd done.

"Leo..."

"Hurray! You finally figured out." He was too cheery and sarcastic for her liking, but she ignored it, glancing over the targets again. "Now, I want you to stay inside that cosy little cubicle you have until I have successfully set up the range, because the course I'm about to operate is a no-man's-land. The machines that operate in the range have the capacity to harm you if you get in their way, and we don't want that, do we?" Sage rolled her eyes, and heard him chuckle. "No, I know, you're smart enough to figure that out yourself. But, I had to make sure, you being blonde and all."

"And you being a cowardly bastard!" She snapped back, aggravated. Her hand convulsed tighter over the gun.

"Now, now, that's no way to hold my baby." Leo criticised, obviously noting Sage's tight grasp over his rifle. "Ease up there, or she won't cooperate very well."

"Oh, does _honey_ have a name? She seems like the _only_ girl _you'd_ win, doesn't she?"

Leo was silent a moment, and Sage counted the beats between them.

"Just stay in the box." He rasped, and she smiled slightly.

_Ten_. Ten seconds of silence. Not a record for her. She'd silenced men—and women—forever. But...it was satisfying.

Something billowed up from the floor as Sage gazed around, and she shrunk back into the box wearily, instinct suspecting it was something poisonous. She'd come into contact with toxic gas before, and it hadn't been pretty. Welts the size of a small die for a week, and a severe burning itch that aggravated her _so bad_. Not to mention it had registered her unconscious within only a few seconds of inhalation, and waking her with a killer headache after a few days. That _month_ hadn't been pretty, really. She was held captive for most of it, until she figured out how to scavenge a few basic weapons through the bars of her cell and kill the guard on duty before escaping through the air vents in the roof.

But as Sage looked, she saw it was only fog. Harmless, obscuring white fog that made it hard to see through to the targets—which was probably Leo's intentions. She saw the silhouettes a distance away, and they looked more human than ever—especially when one began to shift and position itself further away to the right and back a few metres. The middle target stayed positioned where it was, and the third began to reallocate in circles. Continuous circles.

Obviously Leo was going to make it hard for her.

The room began to dim, and Sage's head tilted up to the roof as the world around her quietened to darkness. She felt out around her: open in front and behind, but the sanctuary-like walls to either side offered some comfort. It was all she could see, along with the soft hum of machines buzzing around quietly through the air, and effectively unnerving her. She waited for Leo's instructions.

"I'm sure you know how to operate night vision on a gun? After all, I've heard you're quite notorious with your aim." Sighing, Sage felt for the small latch—or button, on some guns—and clicked it. She drew the scope up to her eyes, relieved when the world was lit up in a hazy green dye. She saw the ghostly fog lining the floor in a heavy mass—a pale-green colour through her night vision—and the thin tendrils of smoke rising up to limit her vision to the other end of the room. She spotted two of the targets: one stationary, the other a buzzing blur of movement; but the third was nowhere to be seen.

Not waiting for Leo's words, Sage fired. The bullet sunk into the stationary target's forehead, and then she lowered her hands to strike his chest. She went down on one knee to steady her aim—although it was already remarkably still—and followed the shifting target's movements. Every two seconds it paused at a certain spot for a brief amount of time, and Sage watched it intently for a few moments until she drew up a clear path of its course. Then she moved her aim to where she predicted it was headed next, and fired as soon as she caught sight of it. Unlike the first target, it flattened to the ground after receiving a bullet to the head, and did not spring back up.

_Now, for that third bugger_...She let her gaze roam, but after a swift glance she came up empty-handed. She frowned, creeping forward slightly. How the hell was she supposed to get the target when she couldn't see it?

Doing a second, and then third, search, she was as lost as the first time, and it began to play on her nerves.

She relayed the conversation with Leo once again, thinking.

"_Now, I want you to stay inside that cosy little cubicle you have until I have successfully set up the range..."_

_Until_ he had successfully set it up. He said nothing about while she was shooting. So that meant...

"Ah shit..." She'd never been to a range that required a person to enter _into_ it at their own risk-other than paintball. But it seemed there was no other way.

Sighing, closing her eyes briefly, and gritting her teeth, Sage stood and stepped over the threshold of her sanctuary and into no-man's-land.

Leo chuckled slightly over the voice box, but said nothing to prevent her walking further into the fog.

So this was what he wanted? Then so be it...

Sage was on her own now.

Just the way she liked it.

* * *

><p><strong>Important Author's Note:<strong> Hi everyone! Yes, I am back, and yes, I am continuing this story. I'm sorry for how long it took to update, bit I'm really busy, so my chapter updates will have slowed down immensely.

But, not to worry! I'll stick with this story till the end. I've never seen a multi-chaptered story of my own finished, because I run out of ideas. But...I will try with this one!

Thanks for everyone who has given me such great support! I'm so glad you like my story! Thank you so much!

Please read and review. Lots of love to those who do! Xx


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: the rise of Cobra) and therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person and his associates.

**Author's Note:** I'd just like to say THANK YOU to everybody who has reviewed, to those who will review, to those who just read the story, and to those who add me as one of their favourite authors or this as one of their favourite stories! Xx

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen<strong>

Sage had never seen such artificial fog that was both realistic and movie-like at the same time. It parted softly around her as she waded through it, and then closed back up upon her when she paused to listen. It threatened to suffocate her lungs, but never quite gave her the urge to cough and gag, and tingled like icy pin pricks over her skin whenever she focussed on them. Really, the whole sensation was odd, but she had yet to find out if it would leave a side effect.

Positioning the gun in a ready-yet-lazy hold, she crept around silently, trying to keep a faint sense of where the wall was to her right. But it was useless in the dark: she was blind, confused, and deaf—for there was no sound whatsoever, besides her heartbeat; which was all in her head.

Lifting the scope to her face, she peered through—

And found nothing. Pale-green fog, the darker patches of blackness...And a stationary figure off to her left. She turned toward it, finger etching toward the trigger, and crept forward slightly.

She was positive it was human. But the silhouette, even from a distance, was almost _too_ authentic to seem like a simple target.

And then she got the eerie feeling that she was being watched. First, her skin began to tingle, and then her hair over her arms began to rise, and then the back of her neck prickled in an instinctive way that never lied.

There was somebody definitely here with her. Somebody real.

Sage spun around quickly, forgetting the target at her back as a loud static noise droned out about the room. She pointed her gun toward it, and realised where it was: high up in a corner, where the speakers sat.

She exhaled heavily, laughing quietly at herself. Of _course_ she was being watched. By Leo. And now he was playing mind tricks on her, too.

_Bastard_...almost as much as Storm Shadow, but not quite...No one could beat him.

Sage turned around again, stalking closer to the figure a few feet away. She looked out through her night vision, gazed at the dark-green silhouette, and got that same peculiar tickly feeling. She tried to shake it off, telling herself it was only Leo and his creepy mind games in the fog. But her instincts told her something different, something _not_ Leo. And it was disturbing.

She frowned, her heels sliding deftly across the steel flooring as she felt with all her senses. There was a dark presence, truly daunting and frightening in nature...but she couldn't pinpoint _just_ where it was. Turning around, she faced away from the target again, and tried to settle her nerves. But the heavy silence was telling her different. It was telling her to be scared, telling her to use her instincts. Telling her to _run_.

An icy breeze tickled the back of her bare neck, and her hair—in its tidy ponytail—was yanked backwards.

Sage screamed, spinning around and slamming a foot out into the air. She threw her head up—now free from the intruder's grasp—and swiped out a fist.

Both moves hit nothing, and her eyes flickered around wildly while she tried to look for the intruder.

Now she knew there was definitely something real here with her. Something un-mechanical. Something not controlled by Leo. Something animalistic...

Goosebumps rose up over her arms, but for once in her life it wasn't the ready reaction of her instincts.

It was fear.

Shuffling the scope back up to her eye, Sage peeked through, turning to find the target she'd had her eyes on only moments before—

But it was gone.

A deep anxiety settled in the pit of her stomach, and Sage breathed out slowly. Her heart slowed, her blood froze, and her pupils dilated.

Through the silence, she heard a breath.

She whipped around, clutching the gun tighter, and saw nothing but a thick, impenetrable world of grey fog.

"Where are you?" She snarled quietly, her voice echoing. But no one replied. "Come out you sneaky little bastard!"

Soft laughter wafted through from her right, and something metallic clanged away to her left. She heard feet—six pairs—and the haunting resonance of cocked guns. They were surrounding her: front and back, left and right, at ninety degree and forty-five degree angles. She could feel them closing in, their gazes like red-hot branding irons. She thought she heard a heartbeat directly behind her, but when she turned, there was nothing there.

A shadow glimpsed itself through the mist, and then vanished like a ghost.

"Come out!" She screamed stridently, her hands fumbling slightly over her gun. "Come get me."

Then every sound, and every voice, faded to nothing.

Sage waited. And as she waited, her heart slowed. And as her heart slowed, the sweat on her palms dried to ice. And as that dried to ice, the world around her cooled.

She took a deep breath, holding it still and strong until her lungs felt like they'd burst. Then she let it out, slowly. And closed her eyes.

"_Sage_..."

Her lids flew open with a gasp, and she darted sideways.

She knew that voice. And she knew that katana, off to her right; a soft glinting silver.

Storm Shadow...

"_Sage_..." He whispered again, his bodiless voice right behind her. That same icy wind breathed out across the back of her neck, and she flinched away, spinning around.

She thought she saw a solid form amongst the fog, but then the mist brightened to an almost-blinding white, and the figure vanished.

Along with its black eyes.

Sage was left standing in an eerie angelic glow, and cold fingers stretched out to brush her cheek. She whisked around, lifted the gun, and fired.

But the ninja was gone.

"What do you want?" She breathed raggedly, eyes flitting about nervously. "You're not meant to be a part of this training."

"_I can be whatever I want to be, Sage_." His voice was still a soft whisper, but she heard it; clear and crisp.

"Leave, please." She breathed. "You are not helping me."

"_Oh Sage_..." And then the mist darkened to an almost pitch-black, and so rapidly that it left behind the contrasting light bright on Sage's eyes, slowly fading away as small white squares.

She blinked, and felt for her bearings.

There was still fog, and still Leo's gun in her hand.

And still Storm Shadow. But she could see him now.

Blinking rapidly and shaking her head, Sage made sure that her eyes were not playing tricks. But the ghostly white form drifting toward her through the shadows was definitely real, and defined against the background by the brilliance of its purity.

Sage was mesmerised by it, and when the hand lifted up a pair of fingers and gestured her over, she obeyed.

His hands gripped her chin, and she leaned into his touch with a quiet sigh. His white teeth flashed a cocky smile, and then a silver glint passed over her eyes.

_Silver_...Sage wondered why the colour sent a chill through her bones.

Then the hands on her face tightened, and suddenly, she felt his arms close over her torso, constricting her movement.

Instinct kicked in, then. She pulled against him, and kicked out with her legs. But it was a futile struggle, because his fingers clasped the wrist gripping Leo's gun, and forced her hand open. The sniper rifle clattered to the ground, and then she went after it when he knocked her feet out from beneath her.

As she hit the floor on her back her arms were reefed across her torso, forming an 'X' over her chest and popping the bones in their sockets. Sage gapped, and twisted her hips, before Storm Shadow sat on her legs.

She lay there for a moment, thinking. And as she did so, she noticed a distortion of colour through the air. Swirls of grey strands weaved themselves through the black, and then the black began to fade.

When it was light enough to see the room, Sage could watch the fog as it was sucked back into the ground, returning to its home where it would brew for a few hours until its next eerie run. The colours of the field came back into focus, and Sage was left lying on the floor in a rather bleak, normal firing range.

She spotted the third target that she never found, and then it drew back against the wall.

Storm Shadow cleared his throat above her, and she turned a withering glare upon him. He grinned, eyes wide with excitement, and she snarled. "You sadistic _bastard_. You just _love_ the fear of others, don't you?"

His smile grew, until Sage could see all his teeth, and he leant close. "I'm a ninja. Of _course_ I do."

Then Leo's head popped into view, and Sage struggled against Storm Shadow's tight hold.

"You asshole!" she screamed, writhing on the floor in anger. "What the hell is _wrong_ with you?"

He settled something close to a calm glare on her face, and sighed. "I am training you, Sage. Some day you are bound to face the challenges like you just did, and I wanted to see if you were ready for them."

"But you didn't have to play mind tricks on me!" His brows furrowed, and he frowned slightly in confusion before his mood lightened and he grinned.

"That was all Storm Shadow's doing."

Having nothing better to say, Sage ground her teeth together and spat on the floor in disgust.

_Despicable men_...

* * *

><p>The majority of training after the firing range was considerably less stressful, and completely ninja free. The people around her were a lot noisier than they thought, and for once Sage didn't have to constantly glance back over her shoulder in the anticipation that Storm Shadow was preparing to silently slit her throat...or wring her neck...or chop off her hair. All were plausible, knowing him.<p>

Really, the only thing she disliked was Leo, who hovered by her side constantly with his trusted sniper rifle at his hip. Maybe it was a safety precaution, or maybe he just liked impending on other people's boundaries—either way he was getting annoying. She'd looked around repeated times to feel his gaze hot on her face. Expecting her to be plotting something, maybe?

Just like now. They'd walked into a great dark room that largely resembled that of a lecture stadium in a university: rows upon rows of red-coloured seats positioned before curving tables with bendable lights fixed to their surfaces surrounding a wide open space down the bottom in a semi-circle, where a man in a white laboratory coat stood.

If Cobra wanted Sage to attend school, he could go shove that idea right back up his ass. She was _not_ going to be re-educated.

But apparently the lecturer liked intimate lessons with his peers. For nobody else was in the room.

Or maybe everyone else already knew what she was about to learn. Either way, it didn't faze her. If he wanted something intimate, she'd snap his neck. If everyone else knew what she didn't, at least she could learn in peace.

Sage took a seat up the back of the room at the highest level to get the best view of the area. Apart from Leo, herself and the professor, nobody else was around.

Lights blinked on and she closed her eyes momentarily in pain, sighing as she reopened them. Leo took a seat beside her, and the professor down below chuckled loudly.

"Come down here, would you, Sage?"

"No, no." She called back, though it wasn't necessary. The walls had a certain quality to them that amplified and neatened the volume of voice projected at any one time.

It was impressive, to say the least.

"I'm quite happy with my vantage point up here."

She wasn't sure if the man gave a good-natured smile or bared his teeth in anger, but he left her alone for the time being and drew out a remote control from his pocket. Pressing a button, a light spread out across the bare wall opposite, and an image moved into focus.

Sage cocked her head to the side, quizzical at the queer-looking person viewed. He was wearing blue military fatigues and a shallow blue helmet that came just below his ears and opened out on the face. A black mask concealed the bottom half of his features from the nose down, most likely to hide his identity, but what startled Sage most was his eyes. They were a mix between silver and a vibrant icy blue.

Her brows drew together in bewilderment. They had to be edited. They could _not_ be real. If they were...that was creepy.

"Oh!" The man began, chuckling nervously as he spun around, disrupting Sage from her musings. "How rude of me to forget! I have not introduced myself. My name is Doctor Mindbender, my dear."

"Or Doctor Brain Bender," Leo muttered quietly and ever so slightly that the man below would not see his mouth move. Sage snorted scornfully.

"Of all the names, you chose something so _geeky_." She rolled her eyes, shifting deeper back into her seat as she stared down at the doctor. He said nothing, but he turned back to the picture above him.

"This is what we call a Nanomite-Enhanced Neo-Viper Soldier. They come in all different 'types'. Their uniforms and potency distinguish the higher ranks from the lower ranks."

"Potency of what?" Sage questioned, frowning. Doctor Mindbender spun and cast Leo a baffled look, who shook his head.

"Why, Nanomites of course!"

"Nano-_what?_" she stumbled.

"Nanomite technology, my dear. Immensely tiny and immensely dangerous little things. They are microscopic robots that are more toxic than acid—eating through anything and leaving nothing behind. If let be, they will devour a whole city in the matter of a few hours, and are only stopped by a specially coded Kill Switch device."

"Holy hell..." she breathed, staring at the wall in astonishment.

"However, these Nanomites have also been proven useful on humans—"

"Wait. You mean, _eat_ the human?" Sage blanched. The doctor chuckled.

"No, my dear, not quite. If injected into the brain at the right location, they will prove more beneficial than harmful."

"_How?_ A minute ago you told me that they devour anything!"

Doctor Mindbender was surprisingly patient for such a logical man. And he answered every question Sage had. "They are modified, of course. But I will not dive deeply into the science of it. I'm not sure your brain could handle such phenomena." Sage snapped her mouth shut and narrowed her eyes. Doctor Mindbender turned away. "Nanomite-Enhanced Neo-Viper Soldiers are examples of these modified Nanomites. Once injected into the body, with high enough concentrations, the host becomes completely immoral, obedient and resistant to any sensation of pain." He glanced back up at Sage to view her reaction. She simply shook her head and grunted in disgust.

"That's horrible."

"Not entirely..."

"But...the Viper soldiers I met that brought me here didn't seem...mindless."

"Perhaps because they weren't. A 'fresh' batch of soldiers, I would say." At Sage's confused look, he elaborated. "Nanomite technology is a very expensive and very risky business. We don't just inject soldiers left, right and centre. We give them a chance to _prove_ to us that they are worthy and dependable and reliable enough to serve Cobra. They go through intensive training programs and psychological challenges to test their physical and mental strength. If they pass, they are accepted.

"However, even if they pass, only some become Neo-Vipers. The rest just become regular troops with different rankings, such as Alley Vipers, Crimson Guards, Cyber-Vipers, Flak-Vipers, Frag-Vipers, HEAT Vipers, Laser-Vipers, Night Vipers, Range-Vipers, SAW Vipers, Sludge Vipers, Snow Serpents, HISS Vipers, Ice Vipers, Nitro-Vipers, Track Vipers, W.O.R.M.S, Eels, Hydro-Vipers, Lampreys, Secto-Vipers, Aero-Vipers, Air-Vipers, A.V.A.C.s., Gyro-Vipers, Star-Vipers, Strato-Vipers, Kitchen-Vipers, Medi-Vipers, Techno-Vipers, Tele-Vipers, and Toxo-Vipers."

"Good god...And if they don't pass?"

"They are killed." Sage made an astounded noise at the back of her throat that had the doctor instantly defensive. "We are a highly secret organisation, Sage. You should understand the meaning of that. Any outsiders that know of us are immediately terminated. It's the best method to keep us hidden and safe."

"Oh, I wasn't judging you, Mind Twister."

"Doctor Mind_bender_, thank you."

"Oh, my mistake!" she forced a fake smile and looked back up at the Viper soldier portrait on the wall. He had a crude plain blue-metal rifle and copper-sheathed bullets. Not at all daunting. An easy enough target. "So what else can these Nano-things do?"

"Nano_mites_. It has been proved that they are also exceptionally good healers at low concentrations. By erasing any lethal toxins from the body they can heal almost any wound. They have been tested on Storm Shadow and Baroness, and seem very effective." That struck a nerve. Storm Shadow, injected with _these_ things? Maybe he wasn't as logical as Sage thought...

Or maybe he understood it better than Sage wanted to.

"So you mean to say that if I cut my arm, they'd heal me?" She asked.

"I'd have to inject you first, but yes."

"Ew..."

"They are also handy for brainwashing, which could come in handy in your case."

"You don't say?" she spat lightly, a slight tone of derisiveness slipping through her teeth.

"Was that sarcasm?"

"I don't know. You should tell me, Rocket-Brain. You probably know _all_ _about_ rocket science."

"_Mindbender_, Sage! Mindbender!"

"Oh don't take it to heart, old man. With a name like that, you're just _asking_ for trouble." Indeed, he was elderly, what with that shiny bald head and elegant black moustache curled up at the ends like a superior Spanish man. His neck and shoulders and form in general were thick with muscle, and a weird old circular glass ring that was like a single spectacle out of a pair of reading glasses rested in front his right eye, magnifying it slightly and throwing the rest of his facial proportion into contorted disarray.

And why he chose to wear the brightest and tightest purple-black pants was beyond Sage, but she knew the sight would scar her for life. She could see flashes of his legs every once in a while beneath his coat, which also hid a black jumper and black cape.

Oh, _why_ did he subject himself to such strangeness? He was just asking to be teased—pleading, really.

"Well, Sage, you stay right there because this lecture isn't over. The Nanomite part is, but Zartan and Destro are visiting to give you a special insight into Cobra's background and our archenemy: the Joes."

"Oh god..." Leo made a strange, strangled moan deep in his chest, which caused Sage to whip around and stare at him. "Not Zartan..._please_ not Zartan!"

"Why?" She questioned quietly as Doctor Mindbender left the room.

Leo rolled his head around weakly to stare at her in genuine fear. "You'll see..."

The door to the lecture room re-opened and two tall men stepped into the open area down the bottom. They both looked up at the same time and smiled at Sage. Relative in height and age, that was where their similarities ended.

The mahogany-haired man with a thicker and stronger build than the leaner, black-haired male stepped forward with a wide, blindingly white-toothed smile. "Hello, Sage," he began, his voice deep and arrogant-a tenor she instantly took a disliking to. "My name is Zartan. I am a Master of Disguise, but also a ventriloquist, linguist, contortionist and practitioner of the martial arts. My friend here is Destro, also known as James McCullen, who is our, Cobra's, main weapon specialist, manufacturer and supplier, as well as experienced thief." Destro nodded with eyes intense and alert on Sage, who leant forward in her seat and rested a palm against her cheek.

"We are here to teach you about Cobra's basic history and the Joes, to whom I have done much spying and infiltration on. They are a tight, advanced and very smart unit, I must say." Zartan was a bit of an attention-lover, Sage could see through his brief time in the limelight, and perhaps because he had such a specialised career, he thought he was the most wonderful specimen in the world. Either way, for once Sage agreed with Leo.

Zartan's speech was going to be painful.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Please read and review. Lots of love to those who do! Xx


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: the rise of Cobra) and therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person and his associates.

**Author's Note:** I'd just like to say THANK YOU to everybody who has reviewed, to those who will review, to those who just read the story, and to those who add me as one of their favourite authors or this as one of their favourite stories! Xx

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen<strong>

"G. I. Joe..." Zartan began, pausing dramatically. Sage blinked, still leaning against her palm and elbow propped up on the table, unimpressed. His grin fell, and he cleared his throat slightly. Sage could imagine him pulling at his tie uncomfortably if he wore a suit. "The whereabouts of the G. I. Joe base is unknown, although some of us suspect the Sahara desert...We believe them to be an underground headquarters, hidden, even, from the government. They are untouchable and undefeatable...Until now...

"We have had a number of encounters with the Joes, and have discovered their resident ninja, Snake Eyes, to be as evenly matched as Storm Shadow." Zartan paused, eyes flickering around nervously, as if he expected the white-suited man to slither out from the shadows and strike him down for saying such a thing. But nothing moved.

So that was the name to the face...Snake Eyes...the best enemy to Storm Shadow...the one who would easily overpower her... Sage shuddered.

Zartan let out a heavy breath, happy to still be alive, and Sage chuckled quietly. His eyes narrowed.

"Scared of the _almighty_ ninja, are we?" She mocked, and saw as a vein tensed in his jaw. However, his face showed nothing: a clean, cold, concrete mask. He continued evenly.

"The Joes common to their base call it 'The Pit.' It is, to an extent, similar to Cobra's base, in the fact that it contains multiple levels of training facilities, living quarters, a briefing room and heavy duty equipment storage." Sage looked around the room, arching a brow in scorn.

"Then G. I. Joe must be a very dull base indeed..." She stared at the white walls surrounding her. Of course, that was a lie...But she wasn't going to tell anyone that.

"What did you say, Sage?" Her eyes flickered down once again, staring at the man whose angry blush spread up over his cheeks like fire. His voice was sharp and hot, but that didn't scare her.

She stared, and refused to say anything. His flush darkened dangerously.

A voice came from his throat as she stared, a sort of strained gargle, and then he swept from the room briskly. Sage watched him go, brow cocked.

Why was everyone is Cobra so _hot-headed?_

She looked to Destro quietly as Leo sighed, noticing how he observed her every movement like an owl. It was slightly disturbing.

"Moving onto the technological side of things," he began, and Sage noticed how deep and meticulous his voice was, "the Joes are very cosy with the government's newest equipment advances, and have been for years. Buying and selling from the big man himself, they have some of the finest and most advanced machines ever built, and it is clear when we go into combat with them.

"However, Cobra isn't too basic either. Although the President does not fund us personally, we have been able to, in the past; get our hands on some _very_ sophisticated machinery—through illegal theft, of course. Therefore, we are not disadvantaged in the—"A loud, deafening alarm cried out then, cutting Destro off midsentence. He frowned, glancing around quickly before looking to Leo and nodding. Then he vanished from the room. As he did so, the sound cut off, and the room succumbed to silence.

It was just Leo and Sage now, and as if to stress that factor, Leo leant across smugly and slung his arm along the back of her chair, his fingers brushing her side. His rifle poked into her hip, and she set her jaw irritably.

She hated it when people cheated.

"Move and I'll blow a hole in your side." He muttered, voice tense, and she smiled smugly. If anyone was to be scared at that moment, it wasn't Sage.

The door leading down onto the stage burst open then, and various coloured bodies flooded the room. Sage sat straight in shock, nervous at all the people pouring through the entrance. As she watched, men and women crossed the room and filled in the first empty seat they touched. Almost in a robotically dutiful fashion. Once they were seated, they fell still, and not one soul spoke.

The rows closer to Sage were slowly starting to fill up, and she shifted uncomfortably as bodies climbed toward her. A flash of white danced to the side of her vision, and she whipped her head around to see Storm Shadow reclining arrogantly back in the seat beside her, full body suit and mask on so it was impossible to derive any emotion from his eyes. Nevertheless, the air around him was potent.

At the sudden appearance of the white ninja, Leo drew his arm from Sage's back and placed his rifle on his lap, staring down to the front in a brooding manner. Sage could see as Storm Shadow's lips quirked in humour to the other man's reaction, and then he looked to the front. Sage, discontent and willing to show it, leaned back into her chair and sulked.

Cobra entered the room—Sage could spot his facemask and heavy breathing from a mile away—and demanded a silence that was already there. She had to roll her eyes at his boastfulness.

"Vipers!" he greeted and a bleak, weird gurgle erupted from the nanomite-brained troops. They were characteristic in their individually ranking attire. "Soldiers!" a more humane yell vibrated the floor as normal people raised their fists to the air. "And Specialists!" crazy howls echoed off the walls, and Sage shuddered in distaste. They were the voices of mad scientists and corrupted generals.

As silence fell over the room again, Sage realised how the various groups were seated: they were divided into specific sections made clear throughout the crowd when they gave their staged cries.

Cobra was definitely a control freak, and as Sage thought that, his gaze drew up to the furthest and highest point of the room and straight into her shadowed eyes.

The environment was different with Cobra in the room: the lights were off, the air was intense, and Sage insides curdled in disgust.

"Storm Shadow!" he called delightedly, but the ninja did nothing. "Leo! _Sage!_" he smiled lazily, and at the unfamiliar mentioning of her name, various bodies throughout the room turned to look at the back. Sage shrunk down further into her seat, but everyone saw her. Especially since two of the most important men to Cobra were guarding her.

She glowered about angrily, and every eye she met looked away quickly. Every one—except those in the Specialist group, and Cobra.

Storm Shadow chuckled lowly beside her, and she turned her withering glare upon him. He gazed back, his masked face impossible to perceive. The dark visor over his eyes glinted slyly, and she could imagine the sparkling cockiness in his gaze.

She looked away, and Cobra began his speech.

"I have recently received Intel from one of my spies at M.A.R.S. that NATO troops are delivering the warheads to a highly-secretive organisation...If we wish to get these warheads before they reach their location, we will have to intervene." He paused, and the room's silence was so tense Sage swore she heard a pin drop. "..If we fail to receive these warheads," he continued calmly despite the hundreds of gazes focussed on him, "We will not be able to recover them, because this base they are going to is G. I. Joe." Gasps circled the room as Cobra's archenemy was mentioned, and the man in control raised his hands for peace. "However, that will not be the case!" Cheers erupted, and Sage could see his cheeks crinkle as he smiled slightly. The minute his raspy voice wheezed out again, everyone fell still. "Storm Shadow," he looked up to the white ninja, and a few eyes followed him. The man of topic nodded his head attentively, listening. "I want you and Baroness to stop them."

Sage glanced around the group, searching for Baroness, but could not find her. It was odd, she thought, that Leo, Storm Shadow and herself were called out individually, but the German woman was not.

Her questions were answered all too soon, though, when an elegant black-haired figure stepped forth from the shadows closest to the stage. Cobra turned, noting the devoted eyes of a few dreamy soldiers, and smiled to the woman greedily. She gave a lazy smile back, and glanced up to Storm Shadow.

"And what of our young miss Sage?" Her drawl was effective in rousing a few male soldiers throughout the room, and her tone lowered into a deep, husky pitch as she mentioned Sage's name. "Surely we cannot leave her on her own. She mightn't know what to do with herself with Storm Shadow gone and all."

Sage narrowed her eyes at the haughty woman as laughter flowed through the room, knowing she wouldn't be seen. However, Baroness' arrogant smile flashed up to her momentarily while she had Cobra curled tightly around her little finger.

"Why, Sage is going with you!" Cobra said lightly, glancing up to Storm Shadow mysteriously, and Baroness' smile fell.

"_What!_" She hissed venomously. "_Why?_"

"If you two are to get along, there's never a better way than to throw you together in a matter of life or death. You'll soon learn what the meaning of an _ally_ is." Sage had to admit, through the shocked silence, that Cobra was sly when he wanted to be. But he just didn't seem the type.

However, she knew better than most how deceiving looks could be.

Sage could see the steam rising off Baroness even from her seat farthest from the stage, and it was quite amusing. Her jaw worked, her hands convulsed—even her breathing became ragged. But Cobra ignored her. Instead, he gestured to the wide room, smiled, and declared 'dismissed!'

Everyone rose, and the swarm of mixed soldiers left the room quickly. Leo stood, glancing down to Sage with a cunning smirk, and then strode from the room, realising Storm Shadow had her quite under control.

It was just the four in the room now: Cobra, Sage, Storm Shadow and Baroness. The white ninja stood up, and Sage watched him idly. He outstretched a hand to help her up, and she sighed, ignoring his arm. If she were to touch him, she'd be sure to regret it.

Cobra waited as the pair walked down the steps, ignoring Baroness' heated rants under her breath. He smiled tersely, and clapped his palms together.

"I want you all to leave by dawn, which is"—he paused, glancing at a clock on the wall Sage had not noticed—"in approximately eight hours."

So, it was around nine o'clock at night...That was nice, since it'd only been the second time Sage had gained any time of the world while being underground.

Cobra was looking Sage straight in the eye. "I suggest you get some sleep, and then leave the last few hours before deployment to getting ready." He looked around to the others, smiling dryly. "You'll show her the ropes, I'm sure?" Storm Shadow nodded mutely, and a true smile graced Cobra's eyes. "Good! You're all dismissed."

Then he left.

* * *

><p>Storm Shadow closed the door as soon as Sage entered her room, and she could hear him locking the bolt from the outside. The feeling was rather like a prison, although a lot more comfortable and the guards didn't shove her around like a toy doll.<p>

Yes, Sage had had a few experiences of being behind bars, and none of them were too pretty. Especially when she was being held hostage in a cell where the tortured screams of her neighbours echoed loudly off the walls surrounding her. Those weeks had been cold, hard, and demanding. But she never gave up. She wasn't sure why, maybe it was because of the way Michael had trained her. Maybe it was because of something in her inconceivable past. Maybe it was because of instinct. Either way, it had helped her keep herself together. Helped her fight. Helped her stay strong...

Sage shook herself from the memories and entered the bathroom, stripping down as she turned on the shower. The hot water scalded her back, and she flinched before easing into it. The warmth was just what she needed, and she relaxed.

The day had been tiring, she knew that, and the washing away of all the grime, sweat, and filth she had picked up was scrubbed off cleanly, leaving her skin soft and raw. She sighed, dipped her head back, and then turned off the water.

The room was warm when she re-entered, and she frowned, glancing at the air vents in the roof. She looked about herself quickly, but no one was in the room.

Sighing, she wiped at her face and dropped the towel. She was paranoid, that was all. She needed to relax, and a good sleep was just what she needed.

A loud knock startled her in the silence, and she slid on a casual top as she crossed the room. Before she could open the door, it swung inwards, and Storm Shadow lounged in the frame.

"What, you couldn't wait for me to open the door?" She snapped irritably, crossing her arms. "What if I was still getting changed?"

The ninja had removed his mask while he'd been gone, and Sage could see the lingering flush of a warm shower faintly in his cheeks. But what was most surprising was his attire. No suit, no sword, no weapon. Well, none she could see...

He was dressed as casual as she was. Grey trackies and a grey singlet. The top was tight fitting, and made the large, dominant muscles in his torso stand out rather attractively. She couldn't help but admire at his broad brown shoulders and six-pack abs. And her observations hadn't gone unnoticed. His cocky smile, however lazy, was wide on his face when he looked up into her eyes.

"I could hear you walking, Sage. I knew you'd finished changing."

"Oh..." Of all the replies, she had to be stupid. Mentally, she banged her head against a brick wall, meanwhile only allowing her facial expressions to close into an icy mask. "Well, what do you want?"

"Dinner." she cocked a brow at his statement, smiling slyly.

"I'm not really into dating ninjas, sorry." He rolled his eyes and stood straight, stepping toward her.

"We both know that's a lie." His voice had lowered into a deep, husky pitch that made her insides curl slightly. But she tried to keep it together.

"That doesn't mean there isn't some truth in it."

His lips slanted sideways, and he reached out to touch her cheek. She stepped back quickly.

Now it was Storm Shadow's turn to cock a brow, which he did rather charmingly. She looked away.

"Come get some dinner. You haven't eaten all day." At that reminder, Sage's stomach growled hungrily and her hands flew to her torso.

"Really?" she asked wryly. "I _never_ knew."

Instead of answering her remark, Storm Shadow darted out and clutched her arm, dragging her from the room. She tried to resist him, but he was too strong. He flicked off her bedroom light as he went.

"I don't even have any socks on!" She whined, pouting. He regarded her for a minute before gripping her by the hips. Her breath caught. He smiled deviously.

And then she was lifted off the ground. Yelping slightly, she fell onto his shoulder as he sauntered down the hall. She pummelled his back and kicked her legs. Boldly, his arm came up and wrapped around her rear. She made an indignant noise and snarled, jamming her fingers into his spine. His back arched and he faltered in his stride. At this Sage took the opportunity to slip from his grasp and back away, eyes narrowed in distaste. Storm Shadow straightened and bared his teeth.

"You had no right to do that." She muttered defensively.

"Frigid, are we?" He sneered.

"I bet you liked it."

"And if I did?" Sage set her jaw and exhaled heatedly, not answering his question. "How long has it been since you were touched by a man, Sage? Ten years? Fifteen? _Never?_"

"Enough!" She snapped, closing her eyes briefly to regain control. "That is none of you business."

"Oh _Sage_—"

"Shut up!" She said harshly, opening her eyes. He was closer now. She didn't like it so much. "Where's dinner?"

At this, his eyes glinted. "Crabby..." He murmured, stepping past her.

"Hungry, more like it."

"Is it that time of m—"

"Stop asking questions and lead me to the goddamn food!" He glanced back over his shoulder, amusement clear in his expression.

"I'd say it is."

"I don't give a damn what you think!" She yelled, taking a moment afterwards to regain her composure. "You don't know me."

"My dear," he began, striding long-legged in front of her. "I've observed you for quite some time."

"Stalker..."

"I know your likes, your dislikes, what makes you tick. I know your history. I know how Michael trained you, your first mission, and your last man. I know _everything_." He spun around, staring deeply into her eyes. She halted. "I know you, Ariel Gallow, better than you know yourself."

"Bullshit." Then he knew this was a touchy subject for her. Especially since every tone of his voice was devoted to contemptuous laughter.

"I know," he began, slinking closer and lowering his lips to her ear. "_The past even _you_ can't remember_."

She stiffened, and he drew back.

"No you don't." But her voice was weak.

"You can't _honestly_ believe that Michael was the one who trained you to be an assassin? His training was _pathetic_. The only reason you survived for so many years was because you were a natural. You'd been training since you were a child."

"You don't know that." She hissed fiercely. "You don't know _anything!_"

"And you do?" He shot back. She said nothing.

* * *

><p><strong>Important Author's Note:<strong> I am _really_ sorry for how long it took me to update! I know that being busy is a pathetic excuse, but I have been! And I _really_ hope I haven't lost too many readers due to my slackness of updating! :(

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :D

Next chapter: MISSION! Yay!

Please read and review. Lots of love to those who do! Xx


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: the rise of Cobra) and therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person and his associates.

**Author's Note:** I'd just like to say THANK YOU to everybody who has reviewed, to those who will review, to those who just read the story, and to those who add me as one of their favourite authors or this as one of their favourite stories! Xx

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Sixteen<strong>

Baroness came to get Sage two hours before they were to leave base, and the blonde woman was still in a foul mood. She said nothing but dressed into the tight black clothing she was handed and left her room quietly.

"...Lover's quarrel?" Baroness asked smartly as the pair walked down the corridors. Sage wasn't sure where she was going, but she didn't much care anyway. 'Sleeping it off' hadn't helped.

"We never were in love." She stated bluntly, and Baroness chuckled quietly.

"Don't give me such a pathetic excuse, Sage. I've seen the way you look at him, sometimes."

"And you haven't?" Sage cut her down, turning a withering glare upon the tall black-haired woman. All conversation ceased, and when they reached the end of the hall Baroness pressed against the set of cool steel double doors.

They swung open silently, and Sage stepped inside warily. The space was large, but so was some of the equipment. Guns, knives, and foreign contraptions even Sage had never seen before. This place was loaded.

"Holy shit..."

"It's not that bad." Baroness murmured, gliding past Sage to pick up a thin lethal device Sage couldn't put a name to. But she'd definitely seen it before, in a previous mission. At the moment, it looked like a harmless hand fan with nothing too decorative about it despite the deep metallic-blue fabric. Baroness flicked it out effortlessly, glancing up at Sage as she did so. As the woman stared, the instrument's sides glinted, and Sage was radically reminded of its sharp cutting edge. A peculiar sensation stabbed at her upper arm, and she knew it was the memory of being sliced open by one of those fans. The stupid sly bitch had attacked her with a ninja weapon, but Sage had made sure she regretted it.

A voice spoke behind her, and she stiffened. "The _Tessen_." he said, rather airily, as he stalked past. "An elegant, cunning weapon, very useful for surprise attacks, and very..." he took it from Baroness—almost gently, but with the utmost power—and twirled it between his fingers. "Feminine." He reached a finger up to trace its edges, his skin ringing callously against its sharp rim. His dark eyes looked to Sage. "...The ideal weapon for deceit, by anyone."

"I know." She snarled back, turning away from him to stalk toward the dagger section. She picked up a small, short, thin blade and spun it around in the air. It was dainty, and when she hurled it at the far wall away from Baroness and Storm Shadow and herself, it sunk easily into the metal wall. She smiled gleefully, stalked to pick it out, and turning around, faced Storm Shadow's calculating gaze.

"What?"

He said nothing but advanced toward her as she stored the knife away. He drew his katana, and she stepped back at the sound of its warning ring. But he didn't poise it defensively. He threw it to her.

Sage, although startled, caught it readily and clasped her right hand comfortably around the hilt. It was slightly unbalanced in her grasp—a little too heavy to sit comfortably—but she held it easily nonetheless.

Now the ninja's gaze was intrigued. She shifted uncomfortably under his stare, and he gave her a small smile, as if he knew something she didn't.

"How does it feel?" Sage's eyes flickered to Baroness, who was standing a few metres away, watching silently, but with a slight curiosity in her eyes. She looked back to Storm Shadow, swallowing.

"Uh, a little heavy."

The ninja's eyebrow rose, so she defended herself quickly.

"It just, doesn't seem very balanced..." She glanced down at the sword, bringing it up to the light and watching as the beams reflected from its polished surface. She reached up a tentative hand, mesmerised, and touched the cool, hard metal. Her eyes ran down to the hilt, which was white and decorated with sharp cutting shapes that gave the sword a stylish, masculine look.

It was a beautiful weapon, no matter much blood it had touched.

Storm Shadow was grinning, and Sage was starting to feel threatened by his hungry gaze. "What?" She asked again. He shook his head slightly, amazed. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"You're a natural."

"A what?"

"Of the katana." he stated, moving toward her. Sage didn't back away, but she tensed slightly, chastising herself for it. _She_ was the one with the weapon, so why did she feel so intimidated?

Storm Shadow came close, but didn't touch her. Just observed. Sage shifted anxiously. How could he tell her ability to fight with a sword just by glancing at her stance?

"Take your bloody weapon back and stop staring at me!" She hissed, thrusting it at him and stalking off before he caught it. She crossed to Baroness, who watched her with that same knowing glint in her eyes that Storm Shadow had. Sage set her jaw and ignored the both of them, picking up a handgun and gazing it over.

"I'm taking one of these bad boys." and she shoved it into the holster at her waist, moving to pick up a second, a round of ammunition, and a small slender throwing dagger.

Baroness and Storm Shadow also began arming themselves, although Sage knew the ninja probably already had concealed weapons...somewhere, under his clothes.

* * *

><p>Dawn was dark. Dawn was cold. And dawn was <em>way<em> too early to put up with an arrogant, smartass, prick-of-a-ninja and stuck-up, snobbish, black-clad Bitch. But with Sage's luck, that was _exactly_ what was happening...In a helicopter, headed for nowhere, for some godforsaken amount of time.

Sage stared at the blue-coloured liquid incredulously that had been offered to her, and snorted. "Gatorade, _really?_"

Baroness shrugged, threw the drink into her lap, and picked up her own. She cracked the lid open. "You need your energy, don't you? And being you, you probably need a boost of optimism, too." She took a swig, and Storm Shadow watched as Sage grudgingly cracked open the plastic bottle and drank a mouthful.

At least it was tasty, and refreshing.

But Sage didn't see the ninja with a drink anywhere.

As if reading her mind, he spoke. "I don't need _energy drinks_," he glanced to Baroness superiorly, watching as she gulped thirstily. "I have a way of sleeping and waking _revived_."

The black-haired woman inhaled sharply and began to choke on her drink, spitting on the floor and coughing loudly while clutching at her throat. When she regained breath, her stormy eyes glared up at Storm Shadow murderously, and she shoved the lid on the bottle and threw it across the space, narrowly missing Sage's head.

"I do _not_ have sleeping problems!"

"I didn't say you did." Storm Shadow defended dryly, glancing across to Sage who was watching the scene in amusement.

"You wouldn't know anyway. It's not like you...slept with me, or anything." but she looked away guiltily, and Sage raised a brow questioningly, ignoring the slight twinge of jealously in her gut. She couldn't afford to show such emotion.

Storm Shadow looked at her, gauging her reaction, but she had none. He cocked his head, and Sage looked down to her bottle, taking another mouthful.

"Honestly," she began at his degrading look, "I don't give a fuck what you think about energy drinks. You don't know how I sleep, and I'm going to keep it that way. So don't act like my father, because I hated him, and I'll hate you."

"...You can be such a _bitch_, Sage." He sighed, and she sat back in surprise. It was the first curse Sage had ever heard from the man, and it was unexpected. He seemed so structured, so disciplined and well mannered, despite his cocky attitude, that it took a moment for Sage to register his words.

"Oh no," she said breathlessly, mocking clear in her voice. "The good little boy said a _big bad word!_" She covered her mouth in horror, eyes wide in spite. "What would _mummy_ think?"

"Nothing. Mummy's dead." That wasn't a surprise to the blonde-haired assassin. Most murderers usually were parentless, or missing a family. It was safer that way.

"Too bad. She really would have _loved_ to spank you." Despite her words, the ninja gave her no response, and instead smiled coldly.

"I know your parents did." She stiffened, even though she knew he was lying. He knew nothing of that inconceivable past, just like her.

But instead of replying, she closed her eyes and relaxed into her seat. Who knew how tiring this mission would get.

* * *

><p>"<em>Five minutes till landing<em>..." A voice murmured from the front and Sage shot awake, glancing around quickly. They were still in the helicopter, still cruising silently, and Storm Shadow and Baroness were still seated opposite, although the black-haired woman was just waking and Storm Shadow was sliding on his thin white mask. He nodded to her, and Sage stretched, stood and yawned.

She shifted uncomfortably in the tight black clothes, noting as the ninja watched her, and checked her weapons. They were all secured.

Baroness threw a pair of black gloves with the same shiny material as the suit at her and Sage slid them on quickly, looking at how slender her fingers looked in them. She checked her black boots, which were tight and locked, and loosened the zip at her neck, flourishing the collar out to reveal her shoulders slightly. Baroness cocked a brow.

"What? I hate tight clothes."

"Well," the woman stood and looked her up and down. "You've got the body for them."

Sage shrugged, smiling inwardly, and looked to the back as the wall dropped down and the helicopter came to a still hovering in the air. Baroness walked toward the back, dragging Sage with her, and wrapped her thin arms around the woman's waist to tie on a black harness belt, to which she clipped a lead and shoved Sage to the edge, out in the open.

"We'll meet you down the bottom!" She yelled over the thunderous roar of the chopper blades. Sage grinned, turned her back, ran to the edge of the ramp, and threw herself off into the darkness.

She could see nothing, but she could feel the wind in her hair. And then she froze.

How was she to stop?

_Fuck_...

A solid black mass loomed up toward her, and she knew it was the ground. Gripping the rope wouldn't stop her, and there was no lever to slow her fall.

Was this how she was finally going to die? In a voluntary fall out of an aircraft? Talk about suicide...

Of course, she wouldn't be surprised if she did die today. Her whole life was centred around avoiding death. So maybe the devil had finally come to take her home...

As she thought that, the rope grew taught. She paused in her fall just before the ground and was yanked back up, receiving whiplash in the process. She yelled slightly, cursed, and grunted as she fell and bounced back against the rope.

That was _not_ how she should have landed. She was surprised she hadn't broken her hip, or her back, for that matter.

Her feet touched soft grass once gravity claimed her, and she quickly slid out of the harness before crumpling to the ground. She was winded, her torso muscles felt like they'd been torn in half, and her legs were jelly.

That was _not_ an OH&S regulation.

She wheezed quietly on the ground, forgetting that she was in the middle of nowhere, on a potentially fatal mission, alone.

Until a white ghostly figure landed gracefully beside her. He quickly unstrapped and rushed forward, hauling her to her feet and snarling in her face. She sagged in pain.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" He hissed as a soft thump came from Baroness behind them. "You could have died. You're probably injured! What use are you to the mission now?"

"She'll be fine," Baroness commented wryly. "It's only whiplash. It'll wear off in a few minutes."

"We don't _have_ a few minutes!" He seethed, and Sage trembled weakly in his grasp. "Damn you Baroness. This mission is no place for you to regain on your own personal vendettas!"

"I said she'll be _fine_. Just give her time!"

"And you'll be dead once we get back to base."

A thick heavy silence fell over the group, and Sage lifted her head as the dazed state she was in finally began to wear off. She stood slowly and shrugged out of Storm Shadow's grasp, moving about.

The pain wasn't too bad, really, and she would live to make sure Baroness regretted it.

But, it _was_ partially her fault. She should have known better than to trust the woman, and she'd keep that knowledge for future reference.

The helicopter overhead buzzed loudly and then travelled away, leaving the group alone. Sage, finally having regained functional health, started at Baroness in a fit of fury. Lucky for the enemy, Storm Shadow restrained her forcefully before she could rip the woman's head off.

"You bitch! You fucking assholeish _coward!_"

"Sage!" Storm Shadow quipped. "You can murder her when we _get back_ to Cobra. _Alright?_" she deliberated, and then fell still. He released her. "Good. Let's get moving."

A clean, clear voice buzzed in Sage's ear and she jumped, before remembering the earpiece attached to the side of her face. It was a masculine voice: young, strong, and attractive, "_Targets in sight. Launching missiles now_." and then an explosive _boom_ shook the air as a faint orange light erupted through the trees a little distance away. Storm Shadow, without glancing back, took off toward the commotion, with Sage and Baroness hot on his heels.

Once they reached the fringe of trees, the ninja vanished—but Sage had become accustomed to that. He would be plotting something in his hiding spot, she knew, and all she needed to do was defend herself while he planned.

It shouldn't be too hard, considering the two NATO troops were sprawled on the ground a few hundred yards from the burning army vehicles, out cold, and the clean silver case containing the warheads was in plain sight, unprotected.

* * *

><p><strong>Important Author's Note:<strong> Thanks for reading and please read and review. Lots of love to those who do! Xx


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: the rise of Cobra) and therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person and his associates.

**Author's Note:** I'd just like to say THANK YOU to everybody who has reviewed, to those who will review, to those who just read the story, and to those who add me as one of their favourite authors or this as one of their favourite stories! Xx

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><p><strong>Chapter Seventeen<strong>

Baroness made a beeline straight for the suitcase and Sage swore as she reluctantly cocked her gun to defend the woman's back. The night air was soft and cool and the black-haired woman's suit blended well into the shadows, giving her extra camouflage from the enemy. But there was nothing to shoot at anyway. It was all quiet, all too easy. _Suspiciously_ too easy...

Sage scanned her surroundings. _There_. Between the trees, a dark figure moved. It wasn't Storm Shadow, because there wasn't a faint ethereal glow from his white clothes.

It was the enemy.

Sage lifted her handgun and poised readily, but the figure vanished behind a tree. She cursed, "Ah _shit_..."

There was no way Sage could warn Baroness without giving away her hidden location, and at that moment, Sage's invisibility could be to an advantage.

She waited for a strike, a scream, or a scruff—anything to warn her that something was going down. But everything was silent, and Baroness was so goddamn _oblivious_.

Or maybe she was faking it. Sage hoped she was. She couldn't handle working with people as helpless as that.

As the woman reached the case and bent down to pick it up, a muffled yell voiced itself to her left. Sage glanced in its direction quickly, relaxing slightly when she heard the telltale sign of ringing metal.

Storm Shadow was doing his job.

Focussing back on Baroness, she noted the figure slink between the trees once more. But this time, it came at Baroness' back. Quickly glancing over her shoulder to make sure none of the enemy was behind her; Sage clicked her handgun off safety and blasted the sneaking person in the chest. They fell to the ground with a surprised _oof_, and the all-too-familiar clicking of a gun at the back of her head pressed against Sage's skull.

"Move and I'll blast your head off." The voice was husky and quiet—feminine—and Sage smiled. Her rival's voice, however, was not so relaxed. "Lower your weapon and step out of the trees, into the open."

Doing as she was told, Sage disembodied her gun, dropped its contents to the ground, and stalked out between the trees. Baroness looked over at her and sighed, and Sage noticed then that she too was restrained. By a tall, fearsome, dark-skinned man of heavy build and power. A form Sage had shot down earlier.

Well, considering he was well and truly alive, he was also most likely wearing a bullet-proof vest.

Sage shrugged, as if to say '_what can you do?_' and the man gazed at her in surprise.

The woman at her back prodded Sage with the gun, and the assassin reacted quickly—on instinct.

Spinning, she shoved the firearm's aim down toward the ground as it blasted off a shell and kneed the attacker in the gut. The woman crumpled, her red hair swishing about in its neat ponytail as she sunk to the ground, and Sage roguishly stomped the weapon from her grasp. The woman screamed, recoiling quickly to hug her broken hand against her chest as Sage scampered for the gun and rolled back into the trees. She took refuge as gunshots fired about her—most likely from the black man restraining Baroness—and carefully peered around as a strangled masculine shout expressed itself through the pause of flying bullets. Sage caught Baroness as she kicked out blindly, clocking the tall black man on the knee while he was preoccupied with clutching at a wound on his arm caused by a small silver metal throwing star. Sage smiled slightly, unable to help it, knowing Storm Shadow's clever mark.

The ninja was still alive; but Sage hadn't really expected much different anyway.

The red-haired woman Sage had brought down earlier was already up and slamming her healthy fist to Baroness' startled face, who staggered and fell. As the two enemies—red and black—faced back to back to survey the woods, a white ghost slipped in behind them and took a blade to the man's throat. Baroness, finally recovered, clicked a gun at the woman's head. All four fell still, and it was within that silence that Sage sensed the presence behind her. Spinning, she straightened and brought up an arm as the suited man swiped down with his fist toward her face. The gun was jarred from her hand when she blocked his attack, and then he lifted a leg to kick her knees. As she hurriedly parried his blow, her stance was forced off balance and she stumbled out into the open.

He advanced quickly, this man, mixing a set of lethal combat skills with a lifetime full of killing expertise to try and overpower her. Mostly, she stayed out of his range—his power was too much for her to handle, she knew—but as the black-clad man drew his katana and violently hacked it at her throat, clipping her on the jugular in a moment of weakness, she was forced to stay still.

While the pair silently challenged each other with their defiant gazes—although her enemy's eyes were hidden—Sage used the opportunity to observe him. He was both similar and different in his attire to Storm Shadow. His clothes were black with darkly shaded stomping boots and a thick reflective tinted visor over his eyes. His hands were gloved, his face masked, his build nimble and powerful, and the sheaths of his katanas crossed as an X over his back. He was very much like-and-opposite to Storm Shadow, and his skill, Sage guessed, was just as advanced.

Especially seeing that he was a ninja, too. Or so she presumed.

As she stared he raised a hand and twirled it in a circle at the wrist, asking Sage to turn around. Sighing, she obeyed the order, not having much choice, and gasped slightly when his arm wound around her throat and choked the air from her lungs. She laboured her breathing as he shoved her over toward the motionless group, and then loosened his grasp—slightly.

"My, my, dear _Snake Eyes_," Storm Shadow began, leering at the man still holding Sage in his arms. "It's been a _long_ time."

Sage stopped struggling momentarily to stare Storm Shadow hard in the eyes. He ignored her gaze; eyes devoted to the ninja behind her.

So, this was his Sword Brother, then. It was quite comical, really, seeing both ninjas contrasting so blandly against each other. One was good, the other bad. One was silent, the other loud-mouthed. One was all-black, the other all-white. And, if this, _Snake Eyes_, was trained the exact same way as Storm Shadow, then Sage had no hope in hell of escaping from him.

At his words she felt Snake Eyes tense slightly. Storm Shadow noticed too, and his smirk grew wide.

"I see you still fight for the weak, then, Brother. Go right ahead; the world doesn't need weaklings like you. You have disgraced the Arashikage Clan in your actions...Hard Master should have never welcomed you in. You were a failed cause from the _start_."

At his taunts, Snake Eyes' arm wound tighter around Sage's neck, and she shifted her head uncomfortably to lessen the force against her windpipe. Storm Shadow noticed—his eyes flickering down momentarily to his blonde haired apprentice—but he showed not one flicker of emotion in those cold dark eyes. Sage met his gaze mutely, conveying something close to malice for being trapped like this. The ninja's lips quirked in humour.

"Kill her, then, Snake Eyes." He looked away, into the tinted visor of his opponent. "She means nothing to us. She was a simple distraction. A lost cause—just like you." at his words, Sage started in alarm.

He was really going to let her die then, despite everything they'd done? What was the point of ever meeting Cobra? Or was this just a plotting between him and Baroness, to finally get rid of her for good?

It didn't make any sense!

Sage's brows drew together in confusion while the ninja at her throat resisted the urge to draw his katana. Instead, he loosened his grip to allow her to breath, and snapped his free hand forward. The silent dagger soared smoothly through the air at Storm Shadow's chest, but the ninja ducked. In the process he also released his captive, who leapt away and spun around to cock his gun. In quick succession, the red-haired woman threw her skull back into Baroness' nose. The sidetracked woman screeched and released her hold, staggering and clutching at her face. With all three members of the enemy now free, and Sage still held captive, Storm Shadow and Baroness quickly turned on their heels and vanished through the trees.

And so they left her, just like that. Sage should have known not to trust anyone—that golden rule was what had kept her alive for so long. But then Cobra had come along to muck up the order. Sage sighed as the quiet _whoop, whoop_ of helicopter blades purred in the distance, bowing the crowns of the trees below it. Sage looked up and saw as two slender figures were hauled up into the craft by thin cords, with the third transport _she_ was meant to be on empty.

They really were deserting her then—and to the Joes, of all enemies!

Well, shit...

So Sage was alone once again. Not to worry! If she'd survived being held captive before, she was sure to survive it again. Even if their means of torture became extensive...

It would all be a state of play. They would ask her questions, she would give them riddles. It wasn't that she was loyal to Cobra, really, but she despised ratting, even if her teammates were backstabbing bastards.

Or _old_ teammates, to be exact.

Two quiet groans to her right woke Sage from her mental broodings as the Joes jumped agitatedly. The red-haired woman, recognising the wounded NATO troops, quickly advanced on them and crouched down; assessing their wounds with her good hand as they slowly came back to consciousness. She talked lowly as they mumbled incoherent sentences, and then the tall dark-skinned man crossed to help her.

Sage, still trapped in Snake Eyes' hold, looked up once again as another aircraft came into focus. However, this one was for the Joes, and as it slowly descended the back wall came down to gently touch the grass, acting as a ramp to advance up into the ship.

Gently prodded by Snake Eyes' form, Sage stepped forward and was released as she advanced up into the craft. The pilot in the cockpit glanced back as she advanced, and did a double take in surprise. He frowned at the silent ninja behind her, who had yet to speak, but no voice replied.

Grumbling and dazed muttering followed Sage into the craft as the two NATO troops and remaining Joes ascended the ramp. They dumped the injured soldiers on two vacant seats and plonked themselves down next to them. Snake Eyes, however, sat down next to Sage, and then the ramp began to shut. The aircraft lifted off the ground, and they were cruising through the sky to who-knew-where.

Sage caught the spiteful looks of the two Joes opposite as she gazed around the ship, but didn't take heed. It wasn't like she had a choice of working for Cobra, and what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

Redhead hissed as the Joe at her side took her hand in his palm to survey it. She flinched when it was touched, and then frowned. "She broke it good, buddy."

That remark earned a glower.

"So..." Sage caught the eye of the short-cropped blonde-haired NATO troop as he openly ogled at her form in the tight black suit from Baroness, and she curled her lip in his direction. "Who are you?"

His question also piqued interest in the Joes, and Sage could feel the black-clad ninja's gaze intense on her face. She smoothed her emotions into a calm, stony facade, and looked away from everyone.

The best thing to do right now, she knew from experience, was to say nothing.

"Oh..." The troop muttered awkwardly, scratching his head and trying to break the tension. "She's not a—whoever you guys are?" He turned to the Joes.

"No," the redhead almost snarled in distaste, her voice dripping venom and pain, "She's from _Cobra_." Sage ignored the malicious tone and gazed at the roof interestedly.

Avoiding eye contact was also something good to do in this type of situation.

"So...she's the enemy?"

"Yes, archenemy." At that, Sage's lips quirked in humour.

"Then who are you guys?" The other dark-skinned dark-haired NATO troop asked, and all three Joes glanced at him.

"That is best left for the General to explain." The woman replied, meeting Sage's gaze and injecting all the hostile nastiness she could into it. The blonde assassin simply cocked a brow, as if asking '_is that meant to be scary?_'

"Well, why doesn't he talk?" The blonde-haired NATO troop asked, gesturing to Snake Eyes, who sat motionless beside Sage. The tall, bulky, dark-skinned Joe beside the redhead leaned around in his seat and shrugged.

"He doesn't say."

"So then how do you guys communicate?"

"Oh," the redhead smiled lightly, "he knows how to get his point across."

Sage didn't underestimate that.

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><p>As time passed the quiet hum of the wind rocked Sage into a light doleful sleep. She was regaining energy, but also consciously aware of her surroundings—which was bad because every sound made somehow incorporated itself into her dreams; like high-pitched screams from the wind outside. It was only when the pilot announced from the front that they were landing did she fully wake to see redhead glaring at her bitterly. She stretched and yawned, blinking slowly as the craft rocked to the ground gently and the back wall dropped down once again. Snake Eyes stood, gesturing for Sage to follow, and she sighed but did as was told.<p>

Advancing down the ramp first, she blinked sorely from the bright sunlight of the world outside and halted when a gloved hand clasped her upper arm. The other Joes and NATO troops descended, and then they all set off toward the big building before them.

_So_, Sage thought, surveying the tall steel-gray structure before her, _this is G. I. Joe Headquarters_. Already, it looked flash—and that was just glimpsing the craft from outside.

"Where are we going?" The NATO troops asked simultaneously. Red glanced at them.

"General Hawk."

So, Sage was finally going to meet the Big Boss of her archenemies.

This was going to be fun.

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> Hmmm...think Sage will be on her best behaivour? :P

Read and review please! I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter, and the story so far! :D. xx


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: the rise of Cobra) and therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person and his associates.

**Author's Note:** I'd just like to say THANK YOU to everybody who has reviewed, to those who will review, to those who just read the story, and to those who add me as one of their favourite authors or this as one of their favourite stories! Xx

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><p><strong>Chapter Eighteen<strong>

G. I. Joe base was large; Sage had gathered that from the instant she walked in. It was also highly advanced in technology, and very rich on resources. The ground level section, often called the 'Hangar', housed equipment ranging from large flying jets to little transportable warthogs. It was similar to Cobra's Workshop—although both bases consisted of different craft to play with—and because there were no levels above the fourth floor, the small group was obviously going down, below ground.

Sage didn't quite understand the obsession of living underground. Yes, it was useful to stay secretive, but frankly, she hated it.

Then again, she really had no choice in the matter.

As multiple floors were passed Sage got a good glimpse of the equipment inside them: training facilities, a large pool that somebody said was used for submarine warfare training, and living quarters. It seemed like this building held more variation in its facilities than Cobra HQ—but then again, Sage hadn't seen much around the half-masked terrorist's base.

As they passed down a large room in which the floor was made of padded blue mats and the walls were smooth white backdrops where a screen from the ceiling could cast light against the walls to create an environment using digital imagery, the two NATO troops behind Sage whistled lowly in approval. Not because of the design of the room, not even because of the stunning blonde woman within the room, but because of the suit a certain individual was wearing. It looked very metallic, very robotic, and when he jumped...well, it was high.

"We call them Enhancer Suits," the dark Joe in the corner of the elevator muttered, noticing the newcomers' distracted gazes. "Gadgets used to improve one's physical ability beyond the norm. You can jump two storeys high and a kilometre or so long; even camouflage by a transparent coating around the outfit that reflects and refracts light so you look almost invisible. Very advanced and very valuable technology. Only the most skilled soldiers use them, and only in times of desperation."

"Whoa..." The blonde NATO breathed, and then just like that, the level was gone, along with the Enhancer Suit. "I want on of those."

"The suit or the girl?" Redhead asked snidely.

"Both."

When the lift began to slow down, Sage sensed Snake Eyes shift behind her to grip her wrist and nudge the end of a dagger handle against her waist. A reminder to her of his domination, perhaps? Well, Sage was not one likely to forget, anyway. When the doors silently slid open, Sage was roughly shoved out to face a bland clean hall: white carpet, grey walls and a white ceiling. Not very interesting, but fresh and professional.

Being manhandled down a hall was not something Sage enjoyed experiencing, but being a ninja and all, Snake Eyes probably couldn't care less. As she was hustled about they gradually neared the end of the hall, and the large intricate oaken doors before them. Snake Eyes reached out to knock a fist against their polished surfaces, and a deep charismatic from inside welcomed them in. The doors swung open and Sage was shoved through roughly, immediately followed by Snake Eyes and the rest of the group. As they entered, Sage was dragged back to the farthest corner of the room, receiving the greatest distance from the man behind his desk.

It was a beautiful desk, too. Deep rich mahogany refined to perfection with a black-leather chair seated behind it. The carpet was the same creamy white as outside, but the walls changed to a light tan brown adorned by various photographs from multiple topics. Some of them seemed like family and friend gatherings.

The man seated behind the desk looked up and clasped his hands good-naturedly. The Joes composed themselves quickly to salute him, and even the NATO troops showed their respects, to whom he dismissed quietly. As his eyes scanned the group he paused on Sage, focussing the full extent of his piercing blue stare on her face. Beneath the pressure of his gaze Sage stood tall and jutted her shoulders back, disrespectfully meeting his eyes with a silent challenge in her eyes.

"And who is this?" He asked, tilting his head slightly as Sage jutted out her chin.

"She works for Cobra." The redhead muttered, somewhat irritably, and the General glanced to her. She lowered her eyes and his gaze flickered down to her cradled wrist.

"Broken?" He inquired, and she nodded. "By who?"

"Her." The woman thrust a finger nastily at Sage, who shrugged helplessly.

"Just doing my job." the sound of her quiet, silky voice earned a few startled looks throughout the room, but the faces quickly composed themselves.

General Hawk nodded in understanding. "Very well, Scarlett. Go get yourself patched up. We will have a debriefing later." The woman nodded quickly, saluted, and then fled the room at a rapid pace. Her wrist must've ached badly by now.

Or she might have been worried why all of a sudden it felt numb. Either option was plausible.

The General looked back to Sage, all but ignoring the NATO troops and his Joes before him.

"Is there some reason as to why you're so infatuated with my looks?" Sage questioned dryly, her voice holding a slight tone of spite. Snake Eyes' grip over her wrist tightened warningly, but Hawk simply smiled.

Then he shifted his gaze to the two NATO troops, regarding them silently. They tried—and mostly achieved—not squirming beneath his heavy gaze. But Sage could see their discomfort.

"Under what conditions have you two NATO troops been brought to my headquarters?" His voice was not callous, really, but it wasn't overly pleasant, either. The two in question glanced at each other unsurely, not knowing what to say. The dark-skinned Joe behind them spoke respectfully.

"They were injured, and we believed they needed medical attention. We brought them back here for help, after confirming your intentions, Sir."

The General nodded. "Of course, Heavy Duty. You may escort them to the medical wing once we have finished talking. Now," the General looked down to his desk as he thought. "There's more than just injuries bringing you here, isn't there?"

_Damn_, Sage thought, _this General can read them like a book_.

"We want in on the team that attacked us." The blonde muttered. "The warheads were stolen, and we wont rest until they're retrieved, Sir. It was our job to deliver them, and we won't fail."

Hawk slyly gestured to Sage with his eyes, telling the troops it was her doing. The assassin turned a mild, cool glare upon the NATO troops, who flinched slightly.

"She's your Intel," he spoke, "_If_ you can break her."

"Who is she?"

"I'd ask you the same question." Sage murmured. The soldiers stared at her a moment before shrugging.

"I'm Duke," the blonde introduced himself, "and this is my second-in-command, Ripcord." She nodded, but kept her lips sealed. "Your name is...?"

And that was when she let the slow, taunting smile spread across her face. General Hawk chuckled lowly, and she said, rather scathingly, "If I told you that, I would have to kill you."

The pair glanced at each other, unsure of how to handle the statement. General Hawk stood to his full height behind the desk, and Sage noticed how he was not a small man. Thick broad shoulders and a tall frame of quite muscular shape was only enhanced through the crisp green General's uniform he wore; various medals decorating his chest. His sandy-blonde hair was cropped relatively short, and his piercing blue eyes stared down at her.

"Ariel Gallow," her eyes snapped up, and his lips twitched slightly. He knew he'd gotten to her. "Or would you prefer Sage?"

The mention of her name sparked a certain reaction in Snake Eyes that made her wary as his grip over her wrist tightened. She glanced back in irritation, but was met with the hard, cold visor of his eyes. She looked away stiffly, back up to Hawk.

"How do you know me?"

"Your face would not be one easily forgotten, as would your talents. You are well-known with the Ninja Leagues—or so Snake Eyes has told me. He believes you would be a versatile asset to this base, and I am willing to test his theory." Sage cocked her brow sceptically.

"Seeing as I work for Cobra," she began, "I'm not sure that's such a good idea...I might, _accidentally_, fatally wound one of your men. And wouldn't that be bad?"

Hawk smiled tersely. "Snake Eyes believes he has you under control."

Quietly, she chuckled to herself, and shook her head. "Then he has seen nothing."

Through the silence that followed Heavy Duty dismissed himself and escorted the NATO troops from the room, leaving Snake Eyes, Hawk and Sage alone.

"You may release her, Snake Eyes." The ninja hesitated slightly, but complied with the General's wish and stepped back. Sage massaged her wrists and glanced around the room, catching a bright family photograph of Hawk and his family. The General, following her gaze, smiled fondly.

"Tell me, General," she began, receiving the Big Boss' calculating gaze. "Which would you prefer: for your family to be brutally shot down by assassins with guns one summer afternoon during the school holidays, or to die in a house fire chained to their death beds?" Her question received a slight twitch of the General's jaw, but nothing more. He simply stared her down with an intensity that would make a Navy SEAL cringe.

But then again, Sage wasn't a SEAL. She was an assassin.

"Because," she continued quietly, but with the utmost confidence, "if you even _think_ of threatening me to keep me here, I will track down your family and kill them all, _one by one_—starting with the youngest. Perhaps I'll carve out her eyes..." Her gaze flickered over to the photograph once again, looking at the petite little girl in a flowery dress with a wide smile. "Or, I could cut off her ears and morph those pretty little features of an innocent childhood into something ugly and monstrous. Then, perhaps, I could tell your son of all the scary little stories his daddy ventured on. Perhaps I'll tell him how dead and heartless you are inside to simply shoot down a man without a second thought." She paused briefly, smiling. "And your _wife_, hmm...that's a hard one. But she'll crack in the end; especially with the manipulation of a blade to her flesh, or fire...But, just_ imagine _it." Her voice was disturbing, and she glanced to Hawk mysteriously.

There was silence as the General processed her words, and she noted as his stance became rigid. But before he could speak Snake Eyes had a blade to her throat and an arm at her waist, pressed tightly so she felt uncomfortable. She grinned at the man of power before her, breathing shallowly to avoid the katana's sharp edge cutting her throat.

She'd gotten to him, it was clear. His agitated fidgeting told her that, and when he crossed to the wall and took down the photo she'd been looking at, it was obvious. He glimpsed at her as he did so, and Sage was mildly daunted by the quiet rage within his eyes. She swallowed and watched as he moved back to his desk and looked down to the papers scattering its surface.

"I do not take kindly to threats against my life, Sage, and I _particularly_ don't take well to threats against my family." His voice was calm and even as he spoke, but when he lifted his head and gazed at her quietly, she could feel the fury behind it. "You have been brought into this base as a captive from the enemy, and I will not tolerate your tempered words if they endanger anyone but me. You will not speak of my family if you wish to live past tomorrow, and you will _especially_ not harm anyone under my roof." His hands curled into fists as he spoke, but his voice did not waver or shift. "And if you _ever_ raise a hand against my wife and children, Ariel Gallow, you will live the rest of your life _regretting it_."

Sage was mildly setback by the thunderous growl of his words as he spoke. He did not yell like other men would, but he did not whisper either. The tone of his voice and the severity of his eyes made her feel oddly small before him; demeaning her high cockiness to a feeble young woman of great immaturity. Although she did not show it, her skin prickled with a cold sweat that made her uncomfortable.

To his words, Sage simply lifted her chin and guarded her eyes. Say what he might, she would not crumble before him. He was not the first General to scare her, and he would not be the last. She was the enemy, and as her label confirmed, she would stay that way.

Do what they might to her; Sage wasn't going to crack. She wasn't Cobra's darling, and she wasn't a ninja—but she was an assassin, and as her title stated, she would make everyone's life within this underground base a living hell.

Try as they might, they would not get to her. She'd die before they broke her.

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> Sorry this chapter was short, but the story will get better! If you stay with me, I'm sure you'll love the twists to come. Or so I hope! ;)

Thanks to everyone who read. Please review! xx


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: the rise of Cobra) and therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person and his associates.

**Author's Note:** I'd just like to say THANK YOU to everybody who has reviewed, to those who will review, to those who just read the story, and to those who add me as one of their favourite authors or this as one of their favourite stories! Xx

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><p><strong>Chapter Nineteen<strong>

_Damn this coldness_...The tight black leather suit Baroness had given Sage before the mission was doing a horrible job at keeping whatever little body warmth she had left inside herself. The heat was seeping out through her skin, freezing when it touched the cool stone floor beneath, and chilling her to the core. The cell was dark and damp and only a thin, weak sliver of light beneath the stout iron door opposite bleached the shadows enough to change them into a soft grey.

However, in the corner farthest from the entrance, the wall was invisible.

Sage shivered on the thin white cot as she hugged her arms to her chest. The movement cause the bed to creak and the springs to groan. The sound reverberated loudly off the boxy walls, and Sage closed her eyes and grimaced.

General Hawk obviously didn't know how to treat his guests right. But, being the enemy, he probably didn't much care if she froze to death, anyway.

Sage sensed as a silent figure passed by the door. The shadows shifted as the light filtered between the person's moving shoes, and then the door began to creak open. She shot upright, drawing herself to the edge of the bed farthest from the intruder. She had no weapons—Hawk, with the help of Snake Eyes, had made sure of that before she left his office—but she knew how to kill a man with her bare hands. If it came to that.

The door swung open and Sage shielded her eyes against the bright light out in the corridor. It was funny, how such a small space could be so dark when the world outside was so bright.

_That's what you get for a room with no windows_, she guessed.

The figure, Sage realised, was Heavy Duty: the tall, solid, dark-skinned, black-haired Joe from the mission before. The mission that, ultimately, had backfired on Cobra and left Storm Shadow and Baroness to desert Sage to the Joes. Damn bastards.

Heavy Duty's features were cast in shadow, as he stood impedingly large in the frame of the door. But his voice was quiet and, oddly, sweet; with the slightest hint of an accent.

"General Hawk wants to see you." As if to reinforce his demand, a thin silver sword flashed behind the Joe's head, glinting sharply at Sage's eyes.

So, Snake Eyes was here as well. Hawk definitely wasn't taking any chances.

Sage sighed and twisted her body to place her black-booted feet firmly on the stone floor. She stood, noticing how the smooth concrete walls and ceiling seemed to be closing in around her, and advanced toward the Joe.

"Whoa," he lifted a hand to signal her to stop, and she paused, cocking a leg. He produced a pair of handcuffs, and she directed her eyes to them in disbelief. "Simply a precaution," he said to her bewildered stare.

"Fine," she sighed, clasping her hands behind her back and turning around to face away from him. The Joe slowly approached her—much like a dog herding a mob of sheep—and gently clicked them into place. Then he seized her by the shoulder and walked her out the door, which slammed closed behind him.

Snake Eyes, the blasted ninja, suddenly appeared at Sage's right side. She jumped slightly, and then forced herself to relax as they walked down the hall. It was crude, just like the hall leading down to Hawk's office.

"So," she began, turning to Heavy Duty as they walked, "is Hawk just called _Hawk_, or is it short for something?"

"His real name is General Clayton M. Abernathy...Also known as Tomahawk."

"Ah." She commented, frowning at the mouthful.

When they reached the end of the corridor Heavy Duty punched the button for the elevator and then calmly escorted her inside. Sage was surprised by his tenderness, considering his sheer size. He was actually quite cute.

"What do you specialise in, Heavy Duty?" She asked, lightening her tone to one of innocent curiosity. Heavy Duty glanced down at her, and then across to Snake Eyes on her other side. The ninja didn't say anything, but he formed shapes with his hands which Sage understood to be Sign Language.

So, the ninja was mute. How odd...

"Heavy ordnance specialist." Heavy Duty finally answered, rather curtly. Sage couldn't help it, she chuckled. He looked down at her and lifted a brow. She rolled her eyes.

"Come on, don't you see the gag?" She teased, and Heavy Duty sighed, but his lips quirked in humour.

"You're a little brat, lass." She admired his accent when he said those words. It was strong, possibly Cockney. He noticed and grinned. She looked away quickly.

When the elevator doors tinged open, people in the hallway paused to glance. Then they stared when they spotted Sage. Lips went to ears, and questions soon began to spread, possibly with the occasional gossip or rumour. Sage ignored them all, and instead waltzed down the hall accompanied by Heavy Duty and Snake Eyes.

"Move along, Joes!" The weapons specialist shouted, and people scampered away. Most of them went through a set of large steel double doors Sage glimpsed to be the canteen—what with the smell of food that wafted out from inside. But Snake Eyes marched her right past the doors with a briskness that made her jog slightly. Urgent for something, perhaps?

At the end of the hall the group turned left and descended a set of stairs at a dangerously risky pace. Once level again Sage was jerked right and thrust through the first open door down the hall. She stumbled slightly, grunted, and threw an irritated glance back over her shoulder. But nobody was there, only a solid white door barring off her escape.

Sage cocked a brow in interest. So they were going to give her the cold shoulder, were they? Lock her up in a white room to see if she'd have a mental breakdown? Maybe they wanted to know how she reacted to boredom. Either way, Sage wasn't going to give them the satisfaction.

"Ariel Gallow," a deep-tenor voice began and Sage's head whipped around, spotting the tall, thick frame opposite. The man lifted his head slightly to glance her in the eyes, and by the bright piercing gaze Sage realised it was General Hawk.

So, now they were going to leave her in here with a man that wanted nothing more than to kill her after she'd made a threat against his family? Well, shit.

Sage shifted by the door unsurely, her wrists turning in the cuffs binding them. She could easily escape them if need be, but where would she go? The door was locked from the outside.

General Hawk looked her over before dropping his head back to the desk beneath his hand—a simple cool steel table bolted to the floor for safety. When Sage's eyes caught the steel-framed chair in front of the desk, opposite Hawk, she realised what this room was.

Not a White Room for the clinically insane, but an Interrogation space.

And a blindingly white one at that.

"Murder," he began, catching Sage's attention sharply. He lifted his head and stared at her face, holding her gaze pointedly. "...Conspiracy, illegal espionage and infiltration, the endangering of innocent civilians, fraud, the wielding of illegal weapons and refusal of arrestment, which then resulted in you killing twenty officers." He paused, gauging her reaction, but she kept her face carefully blank. "Do any of these crimes sound familiar to you?"

Despite her calm facade, Sage was fuming on the inside. How the hell did he know her past? And, more importantly, her criminal record? Not even the police had a clear gauge on her identity whenever she was convicted of something, because she constantly switched between personas for undercover tasks.

"I have a very talented computer hacker who was able to draw up every file you have ever made in the Government database," Hawk stated, taking a jab at why she was so uncharacteristically silent. "Let's just say you were...notorious, in a riddling way."

So, the Hawk had discovered her multiple characters that even the government didn't know about...Bright spark, he was.

Sage lifted her chin quietly and jutted it out arrogantly. Despite the arms shackled behind her back, she still composed herself defiantly.

"You've had quite a history, Sage." He flicked through the papers scattered on the desk, which Sage guessed was all part of her file. "And you've partaken in occupations that would have required some of the most skilled mercenaries to achieve." He thrust an arm out to the cool steel chair before him, glancing at Sage as he did so. "Take a seat."

Sage arched a brow silently. He couldn't tell her what to do.

"Please."

Debating momentarily, she crossed the room and plonked down onto the solid mass of cold metal. The chains on her handcuffs clanked loudly as she crossed her legs, and Hawk tensed slightly before relaxing—realising it wasn't a weapon making the sound.

"Heavy Duty?" she shrugged and he sighed. "The man has a tendency for restraints."

Sage didn't want to know what that meant, if the General was taking a two-sided jab. Instead, she glanced around the room. It was white and plain: smooth walls, a tiled floor, a cement ceiling. The only interesting object was a large glass mirror to her right that reflected the room's contents in a silvery delusion. Sage's lips twitched, catching her mirror image. She didn't look all that haggard...She actually looked quite sexy in that tight black suit...

Subtle, they were, in their interrogations. Sage could imagine the various Joes hidden behind that two-way glass, observing and analysing her reactions as she came across them herself. Right now their pages would be blank, or they would only have a few points jotted down. Probably something like: _quiet, defiant and sardonic. Speaks little and has a body to _die_ for_.

Well, probably not that last point, but still...

"Sage," the woman looked back over to Hawk, who was staring at her quietly. "Did you voluntarily sign up to join Cobra?" She shifted slightly, the handcuffs rattling loudly as she held the General's gaze.

"I thought this was about the enemy, not my own personal experiences." The man sighed, walking over to grab the free steel chair in the corner and dragging it over to position right before her. He flipped the seat around to face away from her and sat down, straddling its sides and positioning his elbows on the backrest. He scrutinised her face for a long time, and she held his gaze for the duration of it.

"Did they force you to work for them?" She cocked her head to the side as his voice echoed quietly through the room. She shifted her legs slightly from side to side, twisting them as if she was on a swivel chair.

"Why does that matter?" She finally countered.

"You're an assassin." He stated bluntly, and her brows cocked, as if asking him 'no_, really?_' He smiled slightly. "Usually, assassins work alone, or with a very small, highly trustworthy group. Now, by looking at your past, I've gathered you worked alongside somebody called Michael Slater for a very long time...I'm just curious as to why you suddenly left him."

At the mention of her old father figure's name, Sage's expression hardened to ice and her eyes darkened angrily. Hawk, noticing the shift in her mood, sat up straight, weary and intrigued.

"Michael—"he began before Sage cut him off with a menacing hiss—

"Is dead."

That caused him to fall silent again for quite a long time as she composed her frontage once more. She looked away from his calculating gaze when it became too much and stared at the ground with an intensity that would have bored holes in the earth. The air grew awkward as they sat there, and then Hawk cleared his throat gently.

"He meant a lot to you, didn't he?" So, now he was trying to _sympathise_ with her? What _bull_shit! Sage's jaw tightened at his words, but she said nothing. "Sage, I'm sorry—"

"No you're not." She snarled, cutting him off quietly and shifting her head to gaze coldly into his eyes. "You Generals never are. You pretend to be, but I can see through it. Your words mean nothing; pitiful lies used to disguise your true feelings, your dark soul. I've had my fair share with your kind, General Hawk, and I can tell you now that I haven't believed one _word_ that has come from that filthy, cunning mouth of yours." She swallowed slightly, holding his gaze, a small storm brewing inside her. "So don't you even _think_ of coming in here and telling me that everything's going to be 'alright.' Because guess what? It isn't!" Her voice rang stridently through the room as she began to shout, but that didn't stop her. She continued: "I am the _enemy_, General Hawk. Do you know what that means? Do you?" She waited a moment for the General to attempt to answer her. When his mouth began to open, she cut him off. "Of course you don't! And do you know why? Because you're so caught up in your own goddamn World Peace campaign to recruit soldiers left, right and centre that you don't stop to think for _one_ _moment_ and pull that hardy head of yours out of your own _fucking_ _ass_ to look at the world the way it is and say, '_hang on, that's not how we function!_' Stupid tree-hugging sonova_bitch!"_

Well, the General hadn't expected that, and Sage could see it by the way he leant black slightly, perplexed. The deep frown etched onto his face had her slightly steaming—but most of the rage had worn off. Now she simply slumped back in the chair and closed her eyes.

It was no use, ranting like that. General Hawk didn't react like most other men. He didn't grow angry-hell, he didn't even seem mildly irritated_._ And that was what Sage couldn't handle.

She couldn't handle the pity he held in those calm blue eyes of his. She didn't need it, and she sure as hell didn't want it...It wasn't the words that got to her, no, not his words. It was his heart...She'd gone without one for so long that she'd forgotten how to use it, and seeing him, such an experienced, talented, high-ranking SES Army General, just pushed her over the edge. He had something she didn't; he had _compassion_. And she envied him for that, because it brought him honour she would never have.

It brought him purpose.

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> A little deep, eh? Hope you liked it anyway! Just useless fluff—or almost fluff, but the action is coming! :D

Thanks to everyone who read. Please review! xx


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: the rise of Cobra) and therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person and his associates.

**Author's Note:** I'd just like to say THANK YOU to everybody who has reviewed, to those who will review, to those who just read the story, and to those who add me as one of their favourite authors or this as one of their favourite stories! Xx

**ALSO**, Lovingwhisper, in reply to your guest review, yes, this fanfic is a Storm Shadow & OC (Sage) story. And thanks for the praise!

So, to everyone who's still with me: Here you go! Chapter Twenty of Dark Alliance! Enjoy.

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty<strong>

After being towed back to her shitty little cell with _quite extensive_ manhandling—obviously the Joes didn't take lightly to their General being treated without respect—Sage found herself sitting in the darkest corner of the room, pressed up hard against the wall and floor, and quite successfully ignoring the coldness seeping in through her bones. Heavy Duty and Snake Eyes had all but slammed her down on the ground as they closed the door, and when she turned back to glare at them, a small little lens in the corner of the room had caught her attention. A camera. How _charming_. So now they were observing her twenty-four seven; creeps...

After that, Sage had been staring at the bland cell floor for quite some time, but it didn't ever seem to change. Everything within the cell—or, what little _was_ in the cell, to be exact—was bare and motionless. Compared to the brightness of the interrogation room, her little shady world was calming. Perhaps they were trying to blind her; what with towing her from darkness to light to darkness again...She wouldn't put it past them. But then again, she didn't know them.

It was only when Sage heard quite footsteps outside her cell door did she look up from the floor to find herself shivering rather violently. She hugged her torso tighter and rubbed her arms, knowing she wouldn't freeze to death—but the chill factor was unpleasant.

When the cell door opened Sage stood up slowly, leaning against the corner of two adjoining walls to glare coolly at the person about to come in. But even when the door cracked open ever so slightly, Sage saw nothing. Not a hand, an arm, or even a leg.

Maybe it was a ghost.

But then the open entrance expanded and slammed shut so quickly she was left silent and bewildered in the darkness that followed.

...Perhaps she was hallucinating?

But no, there was a figure there, in the corner of the room beneath the camera. Anyone observing Sage from the lens at that moment could not see what she was looking at, but she could see him clear as day. And before she could speak, he interjected:

"_Look away from me and don't say a word_." His voice was low as it whispered quietly through the room, and Sage grudgingly complied. Shifting her gaze away from the intruder opposite she sunk down to the floor and looked at her hands. "_Act as if all you reacted to were passing footsteps from outside in the hall_."

Sliding out her legs beneath her and relaxing against the wall, Sage saw that her hands were shaking. It wasn't fear she felt, though. It was rage.

"_Good. Keep your eyes away. Distract yourself somehow_."

Looking up, she stared at the camera lens straight in the eye. May as well unsettle them while she still had the chance.

The little red dot suddenly shut off on the side of the camera, and Sage looked down as the ethereal glow from the man's white clothes dropped back down to the floor. He'd disarmed the camera.

"They're going to know you're in here now." She muttered. "They're going to come and look."

"Not if they're distracted." He countered—no longer whispering—and stepped forth from the shadows.

It was funny, seeing the person you hated most in the world just casually standing there and ignoring your bloodcurdling glare. Especially after you believed they'd simply left you behind for dead with the enemy.

Sage flew to her feet, spitting on the ground in disgust. "What are you doing here?" Her voice was callous and cold, just the way she expected it to be.

"Oh Sage," he sighed, smiling slightly. "Don't take the abandonment to heart. It was essential for our ambush, and you were just so naive..."

So, first he left her, and now he was _mocking_ her? Sage's lip curled in anger, but she couldn't stop the question forming on her lips. "What do you mean it was 'essential?'"

"We placed a tracker device on your clothes. The whole mission was planned. You were _meant_ to be caught." His voice was airy, almost smug. It tickled her nerves.

"So you could track down G. I. Joe headquarters and destroy it?"

His grin was dark. "_Exactly_."

"Well, why didn't the black-haired bimbo take the role instead of me?" She was angry, and he deserved the full force of it. After all, he'd played her like a fool.

Stupid ninja...

Storm Shadow sighed, as if saying '_really? You're going to ask these questions _now?' But he answered her. He had to. "She knew one of the NATO troops in the past—even had feelings for him. If he were brought back to base with the Joes, and she was captured by them...Well, we couldn't risk her turning on us, could we?"

Sage set her jaw and looked away. "Why couldn't _you_ do it?"

"Who would guard Cobra in my absence?" He shot back. "Who would break in to free me? Who would keep _you_ under control? No, it was better you came here to be controlled by Snake Eyes than us losing you altogether."

That _bastard_.

"I'm sure you could _break out!_" She seethed, turning back to him and injecting all the malice she could into her hard glare.

"That is not the point." He brushed her off easily. Her blood boiled.

"Well, what about a Viper?"

"They'd crack too easily. Besides, you knew so little about Cobra; you were the perfect decoy. They'd never get anything out of you, even if you did speak."

"_I would never rat!"_ She hissed, stepping away from the wall to snarl at Storm Shadow. The ninja smiled and advanced on her, reaching out a hand to brush her face gently.

"I didn't say you would."

Sage stepped back and slapped his hand away savagely. The ninja seemed surprised by her fierceness, but a dark glint sparked in his eyes. He smiled slowly, watching as she prowled the wall before him, thinking.

"You hold long grudges, don't you, Sage?" She glanced at him, but didn't reply. She thought it was clear. "You hate betrayal because you have never trusted someone long enough to suffer it strongly. You're hurt."

The woman paused in her pacing to glare forebodingly at him. Her lip curled and her hands convulsed into fists, but when she spoke, her voice was level—maybe even calm.

"I never trusted you."

"But I hurt you," he said softly, stepping toward her. "And even Baroness, the childish brat, hurt you." Sage's jaw stiffened and she stepped away from him again, concealing herself in the shadows.

"I don't want your help."

That made the ninja pause, and then his brows drew together in confusion. When he finally registered her words, a small, scornful laugh came from deep in his chest. "Oh no," he sighed, smiling with something that oddly resembled a sneer, "Not you _too_."

"'Not me' _what?_" her irritable voice was nothing but a growl. He shook his head, eyes shining mysteriously.

"They've converted you into a Joe, haven't they?"

"No!" She spat quickly, pausing. "But that doesn't mean I want to go back with _you_."

"Sage," he sighed again, voice forlorn. "I know how you feel about me—"

"I feel nothing for you."

His smirk grew wider, more cunning. "...I'm not so sure about that, Miss Gallow."

Sage reacted violently then; just the way Storm Shadow wanted her to. She launched herself from the shadows to attack him. He parried the fists to his face and gut and hastily seized her arms, pulling her struggling form closer toward him. She kicked out savagely, but was too close to get full force. Instead, it felt like a light tap on the thigh, and it made Storm Shadow smile. He shook his head and as she glared up at him and spun her around, hugging her back to his chest tightly. She grunted as she struggled, but his vice grip never ceased.

He placed his lips to her ear, noting how she shivered in delight and flinched in repulsion at the same time. Women were funny creatures.

"_Calm down, Sage_."

"Get off me!" She seethed, squirming and successfully restricting herself closer to Storm Shadow. He chuckled lowly, and she threw her head back into his shoulder. It did nothing.

"My, my, hasn't your fighting gotten sloppy?" She grunted as he laughed in her ear. "We may just have to touch up on those skills then, won't we?" His lips brushed the side of her face, his charismatic voice aggravating her even more. However, before she could bite back a reply, obnoxiously loud sirens wailed out through the building and Sage fell still. "I'm afraid there's been a break-in!" Storm Shadow sang, dragging Sage toward the closed cell door. "If Snake Eyes shows up, I want you to relocate to the top level of this base. Baroness will be there, as will a few Viper soldiers, fighting off the Joes until we show up. Got it?"

Glad enough just to escape his arms Sage nodded hastily. She felt him smile, and then he released her, throwing the door wide open. The pair bolted out at breakneck speed until a dark figure dropped down in front of Sage. She was light enough on her feet to sidestep the ninja—or maybe he wasn't focussed on her—and listened as the _clang_ of metal against metal rang out behind her.

The elevator wouldn't be safe for an escape route, Sage knew, so she threw herself up the first set of stairs as fast as her balance would allow. The cement casing ricocheted loudly off the walls as she ran, but that didn't matter. If the Joes hadn't already suspected it already, she'd escaped, and the Viper soldiers up top were just a distraction.

But that didn't mean she could take it lightly.

When Sage heard the quiet voices of soldiers beneath her, she cursed and forced herself faster. Maybe they hadn't seen her yet, but if she didn't quieten her footsteps, they'd hear her.

Muttering lowly under her breath Sage took the extra effort to conceal her movements and used the staircase railing to propel herself forward.

Lucky she'd been training all her life for scenarios like this. If she wasn't so damn fit they would've caught up to her by now. Hawk knew how to train his soldiers, but not enough for an assassin like her.

Upon glimpsing a shadowy corner to her right Sage bolted toward it and waited. Hidden rather effectively she watched as the soldiers below rounded the platform adjoining two sets of stairs and began to climb again. They were young, maybe twenty or so, with short-cropped hair and a pair of G. I. Joe slacks and shirt. They'd obviously come from the living quarters—because they weren't dressed appropriately in uniform—but they'd still managed to get their hands on a set of weapons. Sleek black rifles, too.

Sage liked them. She wanted them.

As they passed her in the shadows and made to ascend yet another short staircase Sage slunk in behind them and jabbed her fingers to the closest Joe's throat. By purposely twitching a nerve he turned rigid under her hand and slumped to the floor. Sage, quickly taking the opportunity to pick up his rifle, aimed and fired at the second soldier who was turning around. He fell without a sound.

Moving forward, she collected the sets of bullets from each of the troops' pockets and began to run.

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><p>Why did G. I. Joe have to be so large? After one set of stairs was accomplished, another loomed up above her. Sage wasn't tired enough yet to start breathing heavily, but a cool sweat broke out down her back as she ran. No soldiers had surprised her after the pair she'd killed, so she thought it was ok to lower her rifle and focus on moving upwards.<p>

Of course, she'd hear anyone if they came up behind her...Unless it was a ninja.

But she was pretty sure they were still preoccupied with each other at the moment.

Reaching the top of yet another staircase Sage paused. A large steel door loomed up in front of her, walling off her escape like the bars of a prison. But it wasn't the barricade that made her pause, it was the commotion beyond it. Screams and gunshots rang like mayhem through the walls surrounding her as Sage guessed what was the Hangar suffered a large-scale attack from Vipers and Joes alike. People were yelling at each other, instructions were transferred through soldiers clumped together, and through it all, Sage recognised General Hawk's thunderous roar as he commanded this and that, shot at somebody over that way and casually discussed his tactics like it was a nice sunny spring day.

So, this was the distraction. Sage frowned, staring at the door.

On impulse, she suddenly leaped to the side as an ear-splitting screech bent the metal door inwards. Something close to a flame's heat licked at her skin as she shielded her head. Bullets assaulted the entrance like a never-ending tide until; finally, the high-pitched groan of an unhinged door swayed momentarily and then fell to the floor. Sage looked up, noting the gaping wide hole in the wall, and surveyed the mayhem beyond it.

Chaos. That was the only thing that could successfully describe such a scene. Dead bodies, pools of blood, carnage and flying machinery...It was complete and utter havoc.

She liked it.

Leaping to her feet, Sage cocked her gun and slinked through the broken entrance. No one noticed as she shifted behind a wall of soldiers firing at a large steel plane that had clearly crashed through the front wall of the base. She looked at the red insignia of a Cobra on the ship's belly, and grinned.

So, Cobra had come for her. That or he wanted revenge on the Joes.

No one noticed as the silent blonde-haired assassin tiptoed toward the darkness on her right. Her eyes scanned quickly over the disorder before her, but everyone was distracted.

That was, until, she caught General Hawk's piercing blue gaze. She saw as all words and instructions faded from his lips when he spotted sight of her, and then she vanished in the shadows.

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> Oh, the end is near! Hoped you liked this chapter, thanks for reading, and I'm sure you all know that reviews are greatly appreciated! xx


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: the rise of Cobra) and therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person and his associates.

**Author's Note:** I'd just like to say THANK YOU to everybody who has reviewed, to those who will review, to those who just read the story, and to those who add me as one of their favourite authors or this as one of their favourite stories! Xx

I'm really sorry for how long it took to update, so here's chapter 21! :D

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-One<strong>

The battlefield; Sage couldn't really say she'd had much experience in it. She was an assassin. She worked alone. She worked in secret. She worked stealthily...But this confronting anarchy; she could get used to it.

General Hawk's gaze was still glued to the place where he had last seen Sage's slinking form, and every abominable emotion was slowly playing out on his face as he froze. His men had fallen silent, fending for themselves as he stood there, and Sage was rather disappointed.

Scared of her freedom, perhaps? Or maybe the fact he knew that she could take out multiple soldiers at once? Maybe he was worried for how many fatalities his base would suffer...

Sage grinned. She was hidden well, clothed in the tight black suit Baroness had given her. She could camouflage fine—her only concern was the ghostly pastiness of her skin and the bright flaxen of her blonde hair.

But that didn't much matter. Everyone was distracted, anyway.

The woman sensed as her fingers began to twitch behind the trigger of her stolen rifle, and she deliberated silently. To shoot or not to shoot? She wasn't given a task to carry out. She wasn't hired. Cobra didn't know she was here yet...So perhaps she could make a show...

Sage lifted the gun to rest against her collarbone and hunched around the scope, scanning the room quickly. Several Joe snipers were hidden up near the roof, high on vantage points with their night-vision scopes on. The foot soldiers, mechanics, and who-knew-what-else were on the ground, physically forcing the enemy back. But Cobra was unrelenting.

Sage would have to take cover, then; just encase one of those night-ops men looked her way.

Sneaking back quietly, Sage slipped around the back of a pillar as a bullet chipped the wall behind her neck. Her head whipped around, surprised, before she frowned.

Seemed like she was found out, then.

Sighing, she crouched down behind the column and waited. Pulling out from behind her cover would be like a sitting duck—they'd shoot her down on the spot. But if she could play them...Now _that_ was an idea.

Her eyes quickly scanned the space behind her. There was nothing to distract them, but there was a pillar ten or so meters away, also hidden in darkness. The only enemy to know where she was would be the snipers, and the Joes had no way of finding her in the shadows...

Simultaneously, two loud gunshots fired through the hall, and Sage realised they were the snipers. She'd only spotted two, and if they were both distracted...

She bolted. Flying from her crouch, she hurtled toward the pillar on her right, throwing herself behind it swiftly and waiting. No bullet, no gun. Maybe they hadn't even seen her.

Ducking around her temporary fortress, Sage flinched when the cement a few centimetres above her head received a sharp crack. Dust clouded down lightly over her hair, and she drew back behind her safety quickly.

So they were still watching her. That wasn't such a big deal.

As she brooded, Sage heard the screams of men echo off the parapet behind her. She frowned, before rifles began to fire haphazardly around the shed, ricocheting off the cool steel walls and intensifying the screams that ruptured her ears. Risking a peek, Sage saw multiple soldiers lying on the cement flooring, clutching at various parts of their bodies and groaning in pain. As white-coated medics rushed out into the bedlam to help them, Sage saw the soft silvery winks of ninja weapons sticking up out of their clothes, and rolled her eyes.

Storm Shadow sure had a tendency for histrionics.

"And why aren't _you_ out there?" Sage whipped around at the cool, soft, charismatic voice, her hand holding the rifle instinctively flexing to bring the gun up to aim and fire. Quick as lightening, a sword flashed out and sliced at the barrel of the weapon, shearing it clean in half with ease. Sage glanced down to it, and then back up in desperation.

"_Really_ Storm Shadow?" she exasperated, dropping the gun loudly to the floor with a clatter and standing. "I have no weapons!"

The ninja grinned a wide pearly-toothed smile and flicked a blade toward her. Sage caught it craftily by the handle and sighed.

"Yeah, 'cause a knife is _really_ going to help me fend off bullets."

"It works for me." He said lightly, receiving a bewildered stare from the blonde assassin.

Both killers ducked when an explosion roared out behind them, licking hot flame heat around the pillar they hid behind. Sage shuddered as agonised screams pierced the air, and then shrugged helplessly.

"Lead the way."

Storm Shadow smirked. "Stay close," then he sidestepped the pillar and bolted out from the shadows. Cursing and hesitating, Sage gritted her teeth and followed him, unable to catch up to his long strong legs, but swift on her feet nonetheless.

Soldiers spun as they spotted Storm Shadow, and those that weren't with Cobra aimed at Sage's chest. She lashed out at the offenders violently, lacerating flesh and scattering blood. She darted through the pandemonic crowd like a fox, stabbing and dancing as bullets whizzed past her but no hot pain sunk through her skin. She whirled around automatically when something pricked at her instincts and ducked just in time to avoid a Joe's trigger. She slashed the blade behind his knees, causing a scream as the wound soldier crumpled to the ground and dropped his gun. Sage seized the firearm quickly before leaping to her feet and slinking through the bodies pressed around her.

"The assassin!" she heard Hawk roar. "Catch her!"

An arm snapped out from the crowd, suddenly, and caught Sage on the throat. She fell back—too speedy to stop the onslaught—and looked up into the fiery eyes of a certain redhead—Scarlett. The woman had a thick white cast over her left hand, which was the solid barrier that had smacked Sage in the jaw quiet roguishly. The blonde reached up to massage her face resentfully, glaring upwards as she did so.

"That's payback, bitch." Scarlett snarled, settling a small silver handgun between Sage's brows. "Drop your weapons and get up."

Really having no other choice, Sage slowly complied and got to her feet, glancing around as she did so and spotting Baroness a few metres away, conversing speedily with Storm Shadow before catching her gaze and expressing something close to an eye roll. Sage's lip curled, and she turned away.

"That's it, walk back to Hawk."

"Ya know," Sage drawled lazily as Scarlett prompted her with the gun. "Your commentation is really getting on my nerves."

"I honestly couldn't care less what was getting on your nerves." The redhead replied airily. "Now move."

"No," Sage spat, stopping. "I don't think I will."

"Wha—"but the woman's words were cut off with a shrill shriek when Sage's elbow was thrust back, catching the redhead in her nose and causing the sufferer to stumble back, shakily firing off a few shots as she did so. One of the bullets clipped Sage in the forearm, and she cursed loudly before spinning and slamming a roundhouse kick to the red's temple. The woman fell silently, out cold, and Sage stumbled through the crowding soldiers and into the darkness lining the edges of the shed.

"Mother_fucker!_" she hissed, clamping at the wound to postpone the blood flow as she reached Cobra's ship. The strong scent of melting metal reached her nose as she jogged up the ramp and drew herself inside, hiding behind the long line of Vipers defending the entrance. Storm Shadow looked up from talking and glanced at Sage's arm, cocking a brow. "Stupid redhead bitch shot me." Sage snarled, and Baroness' lips quirked slightly.

"Well, you _did_ have it coming, Sage."

"Fuck off!" She snapped, turning a withering glare upon the woman who raised her hands in a calming gesture and brushed past, making sure to subtly slam her side into Sage's injured arm. The woman threw her head back, drawing out a long painful '_God' _as hot agony flared up her limb. Storm Shadow stepped forward, peeling her hand back and seizing her suit in his strong, capable fingers. He drew a dagger from his belt and glanced at Sage as she turned a wild look upon him. Slowly, he placed the blade to the fabric covering her arm and tilted his head to the side slightly, challenging her to pull away. She narrowed her eyes, and as another explosion rocked the building, he sliced down swiftly, cutting the black leather.

Re-sheathing his dagger, Storm Shadow seized either side of the split clothing and yanked them further apart, tearing the sleeve up to her shoulder. Sage raised a slow, scornful brow.

"Eager, are we, Stormy?" She ventured snidely, and the ninja _accidentally_ let his gloved hand slip to lightly touch her wound. She hissed, and he grinned behind his mask.

"Don't be such a woman, its only one bullet." He muttered.

"Funny thing is I _am_ a woman."

"Shock horror..." He mumbled before drawing his dagger once more, this time placing the cool blade to her skin. "This is going to hurt—"

"Wait," she said quickly, receiving the tinted reflections of his visor. "Why can't we leave it in until we get back to base?"

"Because the bullet will eventually work itself deeper into your arm, which will make it harder to retrieve, and more expensive in surgery. And we can't leave at the moment, anyway."

"But what if it gets infected?"

"It won't. I know what I am doing. I'd be dead if it weren't for my medical abilities."

"But the extra pain—"a strong, tangy scent caught Sage's nostrils as she opened her mouth again, and she looked curiously about the ship. The loading ramp out back where multiple Vipers stood was blackened and charred, and silvery liquid dripped down from the roof that Sage realised was molten metal. "What happened?" She questioned, turning back to Storm Shadow. The ninja glanced around before looking back to her arm.

"The Joes bombed it. That's why we can't leave. The ships down. It's broken. We've called for reinforcements, and they should be here shoon. But until then we've got to sit tight."

_Shit_...Sage thought quietly. She'd been stranded before when her own transport had been attacked, but with the amount of force the Joes were throwing, Cobra couldn't hope to stand here much longer.

"Hold still." Storm Shadow ordered, and Sage shifted.

"But Storm—"her words were cut off suddenly as the ninja slammed his mouth to hers. The assassin gasped, temporarily distracted, and Storm Shadow took that opportunity to slice into her arm. She groaned agonizingly, lips still pressed against his, and inhaled sharply when his fingers jabbed into muscle. Her jaw snapped shut, hard, and caused her white teeth to slice through the ninja's bottom lip. He didn't seem fazed by the act, though, and continued to scrounge around in her upper limb—none too gently, either.

Thick warm blood seeped down Sage's chin from Storm Shadow's lip and blended in with the crimson liquid trickling down her arm. With a sickening, fleshy _squelch,_ Storm Shadow popped the bullet from her limb, and it clattered loudly on the floor. He quickly put away his dagger and waited for Sage to release her lock-jawed hold on his bottom lip.

Slowly, the woman freed him, and he pulled back quickly. She gasped, her breaths coming short and sharp, and Storm Shadow seized her trembling face in both hands to look deeply into her eyes, catching her gaze.

"_Breathe_," he whispered quietly. "_Breathe_, Sage."

"You..._Bastard_." she hissed with difficulty. "Takin' advantage of me like that...Damn you!"

"It worked, didn't it?" He smiled. She spat the blood from her lips, glancing his gory mouth as it landed on his face. She tasted the tinny scent of his blood and frowned.

"No."

Sage broke the eye contact to glance down to her arm. It was swollen, torn and bleeding. Her stomach churned slightly, and she paled, staring at the gaping, garish hole in her arm with disgust.

"Good _God_." She moaned, looking up fearfully. "What the hell did you _do?_"

"Saved you from a very expensive and very long surgery session." he smiled again. "You're welcome—but we haven't finished yet."

"We hav_en't?_" Her voice cracked, and the ninja crossed to a wall stacked full of supplies to retrieve bandages and a clear liquid Sage identified as Metho. "Oh no," she began, adrenalin kicking in as she backed away guardedly. "No, no, no. You are _not_ touching me with that!"

"Would you rather a few minutes of pain, or a permanently amputated arm, Sage?" He asked, slightly irritated, and the woman narrowed her gaze.

"Well maybe if you hadn't gone and played _surgeon_ in the first place we wouldn't have to worry about this!"

"Yes we would! Now _come here!_"

"Get away from me!" She snarled, detecting the escalating pain already rising up her appendage. Her lips trembled as she made her way back toward the open end of the ship, and Storm Shadow scowled.

If she weren't so angry, Sage might have actually cowered from the feeling of his murderous gaze.

"Sage—"

"Storm—"

"Baroness, restrain her!"

"Wha—"as cool hands seized Sage's shoulders she began to struggle. The black-haired woman behind her grunted slightly, and then one of her hands pulled away to grab something. Suddenly, a soft white cloth spread out over Sage's mouth and nose, and her eyes widened as she realised the sweet scent was chloroform.

_Dammit!_ She cussed mentally, fretfully trying to hold her breath against the drug; but she'd already inhaled some of the liquid, and her eyes began to droop.

"Sweet dreams!" Baroness sang as Sage sagged to the floor and quickly succumbed to the darkness.

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> Hoped you liked this chapter, thanks for reading, and I'm sure you all know that reviews are greatly appreciated! xx


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: the rise of Cobra) and so therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person and his associates.

**Author's Note:** I'd just like to say THANK YOU to everybody who has reviewed, to those who will review, and to those who just read the story. I'd also like to thank those who add me as one of their Favourite Authors, this story as one of their Favourite Stories, or those who tag me in their alerts! Your dedication means a lot, guys. Thanks. Xx

Hey guys, just a little warning: after this chapter, there will only be 1 or 2 chapters left to go-max. So this story is very close to ending.

Anyway, enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Two<strong>

Sage came to surrounded by mayhem. High-pitched screams from both men and women were flying haphazardly about her, the ground was vibrating with tumultuous _booms_, and commanding voices were yelling over the turmoil.

Seems like the violence had escalated since she was last awake. Sage frowned.

"Bring it down!" Hawk shouted loudly, and Sage listened as guns were being loaded. The quiet _shink_ of large bullets reached her sensitive ears. "Bring the goddamn ship _down!_"

Ship?_ Our ship?_ The one she was on?

A sudden feeling of dread overtook Sage as she realised what was happening: they were trying to kill Cobra's craft, and everyone on board—including herself.

Sage's eyes flew open as a loud, ear-splitting explosion rocked the air and propelled a strong wind into her face. She sat up quickly—head pounding as her vision began to blur—and glanced a cool steel floor. She looked up, to spot a melting metal roof, and then noticed Cobra's insignia.

So she was still with the Vipers, then. She glanced out the back of the aircraft, and noticed they were still grounded.

So what ship?

"_Dammit!_" Baroness' voice all but screamed behind Sage. She jumped and spun around; spotting the black-haired woman seated lazily behind her, with Storm Shadow nowhere to be seen.

At the painful reminder, Sage's arm hissed in pain. She looked down in surprise, noticing the clean white bandage around her upper limb.

So Storm Shadow had finished his torture, then.

And it was good he wasn't here. Sage would've ripped his head off if he was.

"They brought down our bloody backup!" Baroness yelled, and Sage stared at the wild woman mutely.

_Backup, gone?_

They were fucked...

"F_u_ck!" The German snarled, prolonging the 'u' extensively. Then she caught sight of Sage, and rushed forward.

Defensively, Sage flew to her feet and adopted a ready stance. Baroness rolled her eyes and drew an arm behind her back, snapping it forward to throw something at Sage. Upon catching, Sage realised it was a rifle and a belt of bullets—a sniper rifle.

"Find a vantage point." Baroness hissed, drawing her own little handgun. "We've gotta pick these Joes off one by one."

Nodding, Sage spun on her heel and made her way to the back of the ship.

"Oh, and Sage?" she turned to glimpse a sly wink in her rival's eyes. "Don't get shot again."

"Don't remind me." She muttered. Baroness raised a brow at her bitter tone, and Sage turned her back, slinking around the outside of the ship to hide in the shadows. Storm Shadow caught her gaze when he paused in fighting a large circle of soldiers, and then he looked down to the gun in her hand, and grinned.

"_Let's see what you've got_." He mouthed smartly, and Sage grinned back.

"_Game on_."

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><p>It was amazing what the darkness could hide when you needed it. As Sage made her way cautiously across smooth ground, she spotted a hunched shape up tight against a wall in the corner. Stepping toward it, bullets suddenly pierced ground at her feet and she lurched to the side. Flipping slightly, she came up against the wall. The bullets followed her in a line, and then paused at her toes. She looked up, guessing it was a sniper, and sneered.<p>

He wanted to play games? Fine. She would show him just how good she was...

Standing, Sage ignored the pellet that mockingly clipped the wall just above her injured arm and jogged toward the still form in the corner. As she neared, she noticed it was a car, covered in a smooth grey cloth. Sage shifted the gun and belt to her bad hand and used her good arm to spring up over the bonnet, sliding herself across the front to slip down behind her new barricade. She was now surrounded on all four sides, seated tightly in a triangle.

No one could sneak up on her, unless they were Spiderman.

Or a ninja...

Sage, personally, would rather the first option.

Pulling back the lever in the darkness to realise the gun was already loaded, Sage felt for the switch of night vision and turned it on. Peering through the scope she carefully rose above the hood of the car and rested the transportable stand under her weapon. She swung the rifle around, peering to the corner farthest from her and spotting the two snipers seated cosily on a ledge high above the floor. What that ledge was doing there, and how they got there, Sage did not know. Maybe General Hawk just thought of everything...

Both Joes were staring at her, but the one closest, with fiery blonde curls and blood red goggles, caught her eye. He made a small gesture with his hand—a thumbs up—and Sage scowled.

So he was the one that wanted to play games? So be it...

Sage drew her gun away from them and spied the gathering on the floor. It was clear who was Joes and who was Cobra—they were separated cleanly to different poles of the room. But there were a few giving it their all in the centre of the room, throwing punches and wrestling each other to the floor, clearly out of ammo or weapons.

It was comical, really—like a school dance. The boys at one side, the girls at the other, and the brave couples in the middle.

Sage giggled to her herself before spotting Hawk. Her smile fell and she squinted harshly through the scope, lining up the centre of the two lines with the General's head. Her trigger finger itched, and she slowly reached for the lever—but paused.

...Did she really want to end it like this?

Unexpectedly, a loud shot missed Sage's hand on the gun by millimetres, and she jumped.

How the hell did the sniper know she was aiming at Hawk? He was good, she could give him that.

Sage sighed, deciding to have a bit of fun before completely eradicating the team. Why she was hesitating, she did not know. But she did not like the weakness it brought her.

And why weren't the snipers firing at Cobra? Were they really so interested in her that they'd risk the lives of their comrades?

As if to answer her, a Viper fell to the ground after receiving two shots to the chest. Blood seeped out beneath his twitching form, and Sage scowled.

Positioning her scope on the back of an uncomprehending Joe, she pulled the trigger. He stiffened, gargled, and fell to the ground. Dead. Sage smiled.

Joes one. Cobra one.

Swiftly, she aimed and fired again, this time clipping a soldier in the skull. The bullet pierced through his thick helmet easily, and he fell without a sound. But the man behind him, Sage had not expected.

Storm Shadow.

The ninja paused in his vicious hack downwards and looked up irritably, straight in Sage's direction. She chuckled.

"My bad!" she muttered. "But I'm sure you've killed enough people already. Let me have some fun."

As Sage shot again, she felt the adrenalin kick in. There was nothing more revitalising, refreshing and, in general, _fun,_ than taking somebody's life. It gave you power. It gave you nerve.

It gave you _satisfaction_.

It was a reward, after being restrained for so long, and Sage reminisced in it.

* * *

><p>Ten shots later—and every one hitting its target—Sage ducked back behind her cover as the blonde-haired Joe sniper shot lethally close to her head.<p>

A warning, perhaps?

That wasn't going to derail her.

Sage hunched down onto her stomach and positioned the gun underneath the car. She couldn't help but smirk.

Sometimes, being up high really was a disadvantage. They couldn't shoot her underneath the fort. They'd have to come down themselves.

Sage aimed and fired, and that was when the _real_ assault began.

Bullet after bullet pummelled the top cover of the car and deafened Sage's ears. She flinched slightly, grimacing, before she realised what they were doing.

They weren't trying to hit her. They were trying to blow up the vehicle: sparking a flame in the fuel tank to make the petrol burn.

But the tank was under the car...

"Oh come _on!_" She complained, firing at another Joe and watching in contentment as they fell. "Fuck _off!_"

But the bullets didn't stop, and Sage sighed.

If she wanted to live past today, then perhaps she should move...

Grudgingly, she began slithering underneath the vehicle's body. Unsure if their assault would work, Sage still thought it was logical to get the hell away.

Probably a wise choice, too.

As she reached the edge of her cover, she paused. They were angry now, she could tell. They'd probably try to shoot her down if they could, so she'd have to be swift.

And then came the fear. What if they got her? What if she _died?_

Would she go to hell?

Clenching her jaw, Sage mustered all the courage she could and slid out from under the car, somersaulted swiftly, and leaped to her feet at neck-breaking speed. The bullets followed her, but as she zigzagged, ducking and leaping on the way, she avoided them.

At the last second, she dived behind a large concrete pillar and collapsed on the floor.

She'd made it.

But that didn't prepare her for what was next.

A piercing scream howled out from behind Sage, and it was a sound that she had never heard before. It was pained—agonised—but not in a dying way. It was the sound of heartbreak, of a shattered soul, of _loss_.

And it was Baroness.

Forgetting the sniper threat above her, Sage stepped out from behind the pillar in bewilderment. She caught sight of the black-haired woman as she crumpled to the floor, and following her gaze toward the edge of the room, Sage spotted a large circle in the floor that had inevitably opened up. It was deep and dark—a trap.

Sage's breath caught when her eyes travelled upwards. The white, lightly built figure of Storm Shadow was poised before the opening. A white-gloved hand was held to his neck, and she could tell by his stance how shocked he was.

And then her eyes caught sight of the sword sticking out of his chest.

A black figure moved as the white ninja groaned, and Sage realised it was Snake Eyes. He yanked his sword back from Storm Shadow's chest, stepping away as he did so. The wounded ninja staggered, sagged, and then fell backwards.

And within the split of a second, he vanished from view.

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> ..._Damn!_ Poor Stormy... :( Were you expecting that?

Thanks for reading, and I'm sure you all know that reviews are greatly appreciated! Please feel free to tell me what you think of this chapter! xx


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** I am **not** Stephen Sommers (director of G.I. Joe: the rise of Cobra) and so therefore I do **not** own his works. What I **ADD** into the story is mine (example: different characters, the plot, etc.) but the **original** themes, ideas, plots, characters, etc. are solely the works of this awesome, famous person and his associates.

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Three<strong>

Sage felt...numb. That was the only word that could describe what she was suffering. Emptiness. Despair. _Loneliness_...It was almost like heartbreak—or what she imagined was heartbreak—and a little bit of fear.

But then she felt the rising pain, and the regret, and the anger. A small wave of rage, waiting to break, to spew hot fire over all those present...

Her blood spiked.

She was trying to stay calm, she really was. She was attempting to stay poised, to keep a level head—

A bullet chipped the cement beside her feet. She lost it.

Spinning quickly, Sage brought up her rifle and aimed at the blonde-haired sniper. He paused, his face expressing something close to surprised horror—and then she shot him.

He fell without a sound, plummeting to the ground with a hollow, crunching _boom_. People turned to stare, and then jumped at Sage's roar.

"You _bastard!_"

The fighting all but stopped then, and both Joes and Cobra turned to stare. Sage launched herself from the shadows, and in quick, fiery succession, lifted her gun to aim at Snake Eyes—

But he was gone.

And then the massacre began. The Vipers, still distracted, suffered a full-blown attack from the Joes. And one by one, Cobra's men fell like flies. Sage was left standing in terror.

They were failing.

"Baroness!" Sage turned when she heard the Cobra himself call the black-haired woman's name from outside. A thick, sturdy warthog sat behind the ship, shielded from the onslaught of the Joes, and Cobra Commander was behind the wheel.

He'd snuck in quietly, hadn't he?

Baroness sprinted, and then Cobra caught Sage's eyes.

"Sage!" he yelled, gesturing her over hastily.

Believing it was for the best, Sage began to run.

Hot pain seared up her side, then, as she moved, and she looked down quickly to see a thin metal star sticking out from her waist. She screamed, stumbling, and fell to her knees before a pair of thick black stomping boots. She didn't need to look up to know who it was.

Bullets fired chaotically around her as Sage sagged, and then the ninja's feet vanished. Sensing the sudden freedom, she surged forward with renewed strength, but was roughly seized by gloved hands and held back tightly to somebody's toned chest. The ammunition, Sage saw, was from Baroness, who ceased in her firing when Sage was turned helplessly toward her, acting as a shield for her restraint.

And the restraint was Snake Eyes.

Sage struggled as Cobra and Baroness gazed at her helplessly, and then someone fired a shot.

Without warning, the Commander slumped lifelessly in his seat. Blood spurted down from his temple, drenching Baroness in the process, and the woman screamed. She yanked the steering wheel when the leader's leaden foot drove the car forward—

And then they were gone from Sage's view, the car droning away into the distance.

Sage drooped. Cool metal was placed to her throat. She sighed, ignoring the pain and blood pulsating down her side.

Her escape was gone.

* * *

><p>"Miss Gallow, it has been decided." The courtroom was large, stylish and stunning. With a shining white marble floor decorated by flamboyant red-oaken furniture, great white quartz pillars that rose up to the roof's wooden beams overhead, and thick square windows framed either side by plain, black, floor-length curtains; the room created a feeling of calm authority and stylish poise. Light spilled into the large open space, blinding the few witnesses in the audience and the battling lawyer parties at the desks. Beneath the windows, a clear blue sky shone bright as day, and the bustling city of Washington DC honked chunked and clinked as cars passed by on the streets. It was a large city, Washington: industrial and rich, and at the heart of the American province.<p>

"As of July, Friday the thirteen, you will be sentenced to life behind bars." Sage looked back to the judge on his stand, her face a smooth cold mask.

Well, at least she wasn't getting the electric chair...

Sage glanced down from the prosecutor's stand to gaze over the crowd. At the front sat the Joes: General Hawk, Scarlett, Heavy Duty, Duke and Ripcord. The ninja, Snake Eyes, was nowhere to be seen. But Sage hadn't expected much different.

General Hawk looked quite handsome in his fresh green General's uniform, adorned richly across the chest with various metals that meant nothing to Sage. He was experienced, sure, but she did not respect him.

She respected no one.

Not after Storm Shadow's death, the white ninja had grown on her, and it hurt when he fell.

When the General's piercing blue gaze caught Sage in the eye, she looked down to her hands clasped in her lap. They were trembling slightly, and she willed them to stop.

They did.

"Upon stepping foot out of this courthouse you will be under constant surveillance by Washington's Elite Police Taskforce." Sage raised her brows in disbelief. They really thought her dangerous, even while she was recuperating from two wounds: a bullet by Scarlett, and a laceration by Snake Eyes?

"Upon your release you will be escorted to an undercover police car...Of by which means you will then be transported to a ferry for the trip to Alcatraz Island." Sage looked up quickly in surprise. They were going to seclude her, trap her, and give her no hope in hell of ever escaping?

They really were scared.

Sage looked down to General Hawk, whose steely azure eyes stared up at her quietly. Her hands convulsed into fists, and a muscle in her jaw twitched.

It was because of _him_ that she was here.

—But not to worry, she would get him back.

She had to.

"And it will be there," the judge continued in his monotonous voice, "that you will serve your lifetime sentence in the prison of Alcatraz. Do you understand, Miss Gallow—or, rather, Sage?" Sage dolefully bobbed her head in understanding, but a small, sinister, knowing smile spread out across her face. Hawk shifted uncomfortably.

The day Sage was captured, Baroness had escaped. She'd driven like a lunatic away from the base when Cobra had died in the driver's seat, his limp foot propelling the car forward. There was still some doubt that she had survived, for the G. I. Joe base, apparently, was out in the middle of nowhere. In the Sahara desert, perhaps. But Sage knew the woman was strong. She would have lived. And she would be waiting.

Waiting, for the optimum time to strike; to get back at Cobra.

And there was no doubt that she would eventually need Sage for the job...

She was a patient person; she would wait. And so would Ariel Gallow.

For in the end, they would get their revenge.

*****DARK ALLIANCE*****

**~_Thanks for reading~_**

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> So...That's the end of Dark Alliance! I hoped you enjoyed it, thanks for reading, and I'm sure you all know that reviews are greatly appreciated! Thank you to all those who stuck with me, too. Your dedication means a lot!

ALSO! Please read the **Important Author's Note** over the 'page'. It's _IMPORTANT!_ Thank you! xx


	24. Important Author's Note

**Important Author's Note**

_A Note To The Readers:_

To everybody who has read or will read this story, 'THANK YOU!' To everybody who has reviewed, to those who will review, and to those who just read the story, 'THANK YOU'. To those who add me (Shakaka) as one of their Favourite Authors, or me (Shakaka) to their Author Alerts list, 'THANK YOU!' And to those who add this story (Dark Alliance) as one of their Favourite Stories, or this story (Dark Alliance) to their Stories Alerts list, 'THANK YOU!' Your dedication, everyone, means so much! I cannot thank you enough for your terrific support! XxxX

_A Note On The Sequel:_

Yes, there will be a sequel! At the moment, the title will be called 'Enemy In Shadows', however, as these names are susceptible to change, I will include in the summary that the story is a sequel to 'Dark Alliance'.

Although I have not yet gone and quickly published the first chapter of 'Enemy In Shadows', rest assured I will do it. But it may take me a little time, because first of all I would like to go back through 'Dark Alliance' and re-edit the chapters to the best of my ability.

_A Note On The Editing:_

Do not worry readers who have already read every chapter of 'Dark Alliance'. I am not going to make any drastic changes to the story, so there is no need to re-read the story again (although you may if you wish.) I simply want to improve its quality, and I appreciate your patience with this process. Shortly after editing, I will begin to publish 'Enemy In Shadows.'

_As A Celebration:_

WHOO! This is the _first ever_ multi-chaptered story I have stuck with to the end! It is such an _amazing_ feeling, and you (the reader) have helped me _so_ much! Thank you! I thank you so much! You've been a great crowd. :D

So, to everyone: Adios! Until next time! :D

~Shakaka

*****DARK ALLIANCE*****

_**~Thanks for reading~**_


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